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THE SEA CHILDREN 








PRINCESS 


P AT H A N I A 


THE 

SEA CHILDREN 

By 

WALTER RUSSELL 



New York 

R. H. RUSSELL, PUBLISHER 
1901 




B Y 


s 


C O P Y R 

ROBERT 


I C H T , 1901, 


HOWARD RUSSELL 


F LliRARY OF 

gonqress» 

Two C0H1E8 Received 

DEC. 16 190t 

COPVRIOHT eWTHY 

- /‘TO ( 

CLASS Cu XXa Nu. 

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OOFY 0. 





• • • 




^"/O "S'? 


REDFIELD BROTHERS :: NEW YORK 



t^hotograph by C. 0. Chouinard 

A WOULD-BE SEA CHILD 
^ MY DAUGHTER HELEN 
FROM WHOM WERE DRAWN 
THE PICTURES OF THE SEA 
CHILD 

PRINCE ELWORTH 





Miss KATHERINE CULVER 
FROM WHOM WERE DRAWN 
THE PICTURES OF THE SEA 
CHILD 

POULAIR 




Photografh by Bradley 





Master DUDLEY BUMPUS 
FROM WHOM WERE 
DRAWN THE PICTURES 
OF THE SEA CHILD 

LEORA 






Miss HELENE DEMAREST FROM 
WHOM WERE DRAWN THE 
PICTURES OF THE SEA CHILD 

MORA 





j 



Photograph by Charles 



Miss FRANCES WINTER 
FROM WHOM WERE DRAWN 
THE PICTURES OF THE SEA 
CHILDREN 

PRINCESS PATHANIA 

AND 

NIAM AND 




Master EVEREl'T PERVEARE 
FROM WHOM WERE DRAWN 
THE PICTURES OF THE SEA 
CHILD 

TADDEUS 

THIS BOOK IS AFFECTION- 
ATELY DEDICATED 



Photograph by Partridge 




THE AUTHOR BEGS TO ACKNOWLEDGE 
WITH THANKS THE INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE 
RENDERED HIM BY DR. H. C. BUMPUS DR. 
WILLARD H. ROGERS DR. W. H. DAHL DR. RICHARD 
RATHBUN PROF. C. F. HOLDER MR. L. B. WALTON 
MR. L. P. GRATACAP AND MR. CHAS. SIMPSON 
UPON THE MANY POINTS OF NATURAL HISTORY 
AND RELATED SCIENCES WHICH FORM A BACK- 
GROUND TO THIS BOOK ALSO TO “SANTOS” 
A PORTUGUESE PEARL GATHERER AND THE 
SPONGE GATHERERS OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA 
FOR USEFUL INFORMATION UPON SHARKS 



CONTENTS 


Chapter Page 

I. The Coming of the Sea Child i 

II. The Battle with the Shark 7 


III. Prince Elworth Meets the Sea Children . . 15 

IV. Prince Elworth hears a Wonderful Story con- 

cerning THE Sea Children 29 

V. Prince Elworth learns more of his New World 

AND SENDS SURPRISES TO SoME FiSHERMEN . . 42 

VI. The Migration of Seals 53 

VIE In which Prince Elworth hears much in Favour 

OF THE Shark 68 

VIII. Story of Leora’s Adventure with the Earth 

People 81 

IX. The Wrecked Earth Chariots — The Gigantic 
Sea-Moon — Treasure worth a Kingdom — A 

Marvellous Sight 90 

X. Prince Elworth saves an Earth People’s Chariot 

FROM sinking 102 

XI. The Battle on the Silver Plains . . . . . 112 

XII. Bassynia the Cup City 126 


IX 


Contents 


Chapter Page 

XIII. The Milk Fog 141 

XIV. The Whales 15 1 

XV. Patua the Wonderful Coral City 172 

XVL Illwa and the Deep Sea 192 

XVII. Opening the Ewer 215 

XVTII. The Battle at the Black Gorge 234 

XIX. Atlantea and Princess Pathania 254 




X 


1 



THE SEA CHILDREN 


CHAPTER I 

The Coming of the Sea Child 

HE story is told in King Elworth’s 
[Country that, once in many genera- 
tions, a child is born into the king’s 
family bearing, upon either side of the 
neck, curious crescent-shaped marks, 
scarcely noticeable, but nevertheless 
there, and upon the centre of the 
breast, near the neck, clearly and dis- 
tinctly outlined, a peculiar symbol. 
Still more remarkable, the child thus born grows ever 
fonder of the sea, until the voice of the ocean becomes 
like the voice of a mother calling; and the child obeys, 
disappearing suddenly and mysteriously into the depths 
of the ocean. Then, all along the shore and coming 
from the waters, is heard a beautiful deep-toned musical 
sound; and the king knows that he will never see his 
child again. 




The Sea Children 

’"1 

''1 

A 



This is the story told in King 
Elworth’s country of the Sea Child; 
and there are those who affirm that 
their great-great-great-grandfather’s 
great-grandfather actually heard the 
wonderful sea-music, when the last 
Sea Child, Princess Pathania, dis- 
appeared. But now, as nearly two 
hundred years had intervened since 
the going of the Princess Pathania, 
the story had become more like 
tradition than history, and few be- 
lieved that it really and truly had 
happened. Even King Elworth 
doubted it. 

Then, one morning, the stork 

- 

paid a visit to King Elworth’s palace, 
and left there a beautiful boy. The 
king and the queen and all in the 


royal palace rejoiced greatly, until 


Murdiffi, the sage, looking intently 
at the child, suddenly bent over 
him, and, placing a finger on the 
little neck and bosom, exclaimed : 





Vx \ j 






The Sea Children 


“ Behold, O king, the sign of the 
sea ! Time brings us again a Sea 
Child ! ” But the queen caught 
the baby quickly to her bosom, 
and, hiding the marks on the rosy 
neck, cried ; “ He is not a Sea 

Child ; and never shall the ocean 
take him ! ” 

Kings and queens have great 
powers ; but there is a power greater 
than theirs ; and, although King 
Elworth and the queen did their 
utmost to win their son. Prince El- 
worth, from the sea, yet all was in 
vain. From his earliest infancy his 
greatest pleasure was in playing, 
among the rocks and the sand and 
the shells of the seaside, watching 
the fishermen unload their nets and 
clapping his hands in delight when 
he discovered a fish that was new 
to him. At eight he could out- 
swim his swimming-master, and 
at ten he knew the peculiarities 



i 


1) |l 


( 1 




and habits of every fish that lived 
in the surrounding waters. When 
Prince Elworth was twelve years 
old the king decided to move his 
court inland, thinking that thus 
he might wean the prince from 
the sea. But the prince soon sick- 
ened, and the king, his father, to 
save his life, was compelled to re- 
turn to the palace by the sea. The 
king and the queen guarded the 
young prince carefully, and had a 
great sea bath built for him in the palace, and would 
suffer him no more to go swimming in the ocean, and 
in all ways tried to wrest from out his being the intense 
longing he had for the waters of the ocean. All this 
and more the king and the queen did, hoping thus to 
keep their son with them ; but, when the ocean calls, 
the Sea Child must obey. 

One night, when Prince Elworth was nearing his 
fourteenth birthday, two fishermen, white of face and 
breathless from running, came to the king’s palace 
and told how they had seen Prince Elworth plunge 
into the sea from Promontory Rock and, with a 
shout of joy, vanish beneath the waters ; and how 
Mollin, the boatman, who had seen his beloved prince 
silhouetted against the newly risen moon as he sprang 
into the sea, had launched his dory and quickly sculled 
to the place w^here the prince had disappeared, and 
that, even now, the old boatman was thtre calling, like 
one demented : Prince Elworth ! Prince Elworth, 

come to Mollin ! ” 



‘‘MOLLIN HAD SEEN HIS BELOVED PRINCE SILHOUETTED AGAINST 
THE NEWLY RISEN MOON AS HE SPRANG INTO THE SEA” 




The Sea Children 


What the king and the queen feared had come to 
pass. The ocean had claimed its own. The story of 
the Sea Child was not a tradition. 

Then, from out the palace of the king and led by 
the two fishermen, a long, sad, weird procession made 
its way down the winding road to the cliffs overlooking 
the sea, where, in his boat, still sat Mollin, motionless 
as a statue, gazing down into the quiet waters. The 
king called to him; “Mollin! Mollin, good Mollin, 
thou canst not rescue my son, thy prince, from the deep 
waters 1 He belonged not to us, but to the sea. Alas ! 
alas, my son, I shall never look upon thee more ! ” 
Even as the king called, a soft deep musical sound arose 
from the ocean, growing louder and louder, like the 
swelling tones of a church organ, until all the surround- 
ing air palpitated with the rich melody. 

The king and the queen and all who were on the 
cliffs dropped to their knees, and listened, with a great 
awx and wonder in their hearts, to this beautiful chant 
of the sea, this requiem for the prince, this sea-music 
which had not been heard for two hundred years. And 
now, behind the row of kneeling people, appeared 
a hundred white-robed maidens, and altar boys bear- 
ing long lighted candles and chanting low and sweet 
music to the tone of the sea. All through the long 



\ 


The Sea Children 

night the king and the queen knelt on the 
cliffs, and the people with them, watching 
the waters of the ocean, which glowed and 
sparkled with weird phosphorescent lights, 
listening to the wild, solemn music, and 
praying and weeping for their son. When 
the dawn came and the music ceased the 
king said : “ Surely, my queen, our son 

is not dead. He has gone but to find 
Princess Pathania. We will return to our 
palace and there mourn him as one travel- 
ling in a far country whom we shall never 
see more.” 


CHAPTER II 

The Battle with the Shark 

F rom the top of Promontory Rock 
into the sea was a long leap. Prince 
Elworth had never made it before, 
yet he felt no fear. He sank very deep into 
the water. Oh, how refreshing it felt to 
him! For the last hour or more the air 
had been oppressive — almost suffocating; 
and he had been drawn to the ocean by an 
instinct as strong and as mysterious as that 
which calls the birds southward at the 
coming of winter. He hardly realised how 
deeply he had plunged into the sea until it 
became necessary for him to breathe. He 
longed to draw in a long deep breath of 
water, to live and breathe in it, and never 




y \ • / 


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. 9 - 








€} 


The Sea Children 

again to feel the dry, stifling air of the earth. 
He must breathe water. The desire became 
irresistible, and he opened his mouth and drew 
in a swallow of water. Then a strange thing 
happened. He felt the skin on either side ot 
his neck expand, where the crescent-shaped marks 
were, until there was a bursting sensation, as if 
a thin membrane had given way ; and the water 
passed out through five little openings on each 
side of his neck, leaving, as he found, one draught 
of air in its place. The sensation was so ex- 
tremely pleasant that again and again 
he drew in deep draughts of water, feel- 
ing it pass out through his neck with 
exquisite delight. “ Why,” thought 
he, “ that is just what those marks 
upon my neck were for, so I could 
breathe the water and use the air in 
it like a fish. And how much better 
water is to breathe than dry air ! I shall never 
care to see the earth again. I feel that I belong 
to tbe sea.” 

Prince Elworth fell, with an ever increasing 
swiftness, through the water ; and when he struck 
the bottom he bounded back again, uninjured, 
fully half his height. Quickly recovering his 
equilibrium he looked around. A soft glow 
illuminated the waters, so that he could see quite 
clearly for some little distance. The scene was 
one of wonder and beauty. Instead 
of the quiet earth, moon 
and stars, he saw dozens 
of palpitating moons and 
thousands of twinkling 
stars moving above his 
^ ^ head and flashing among 




The Sea Children 



the seaweed at his feet. It was like night-time in fairy- 
land. A little star was near by, and he caught it in his 
hand. The moment his fingers touched it the light 
shone out brighter, and when he released it the glow 
still remained where his hand had touched it. It felt 
soft, like jelly, and was smaller than a thimble. 

Fascinated, Prince 
Elworth walked toward 
one of the mellow shin- 
ing moons to see what 
caused its soft, palpitat- 
ing light; but before 
he had taken a dozen 
steps he was startled by 
a peculiar sound, like 
the swish of a whip- 
lash drawn rapidly on 
the surface of the water ; 
and, turning quickly, 
he saw, stretching 
downward from a great 
height and disappear- 
ing behind a rocky 
crag a little to the 
right of him, a glowing 
streak of light, like a 
brilliant Milky Way. 

H is heart jumped, and 
saw something — or, rather, just a flash of something — 
like the tail of a great fish where the streak of light 
disappeared behind the rocks. What it was he could 
not make out exactly, but whatever it was, it was big, 
it was terrifying, and must belong to some huge body 
to leave such a fiery glow in its wake. Again he heard 
the dread sound, and the next moment a huge sea mon- 
ster shot out from behind the rocks and swooped down 


PRINCE ELWORTH 


a great fear seized him, for he 





upon him, its great mouth gaping 
open wide enough to swallow a 
barrel. 

The sight was so horrifying that 
for an instant Prince Elworth was 
unable to move a muscle, to defend 
or to save himself. On rushed the 
big fish, and when almost upon him 
the great mouth suddenly opened 
wider and a big fin slapped itself 
downward, causing the giant to turn 
itself upside down. At this sudden 
change in the movement of his an- 
tagonist the prince, recovering his 
courage and strength, stooped like a 
flash. A roar like that of a mighty 
wind followed; and as the monster 
shot above his head, the great tail 
struck and knocked him flat against 
the rocks. With a cry of pain 
Prince Elworth sprang to his feet 
and looked quickly around for some 

■ PI 




means of protection. A little to 
his right was the pile of rocks. If 
he could only reach them they 
might afford him the needed shelter. 
But the fish had now turned and was 
again bearing down upon him more 
fiercely than ever. In two bounds 
Prince Elworth was at the rocks, and 
had just squeezed himself into a small 
fissure, when, like a whirlwind, the 
great fish swept by, snapping at him 
with his jaws as he passed. At this 
critical moment Prince Elworth 
thought he heard above the roar of 
the rushing fish the sound of a 
human voice. Could it be possible ! 
Might it not be the result of his 
fear! It had a far-away sound, like 
the indistinct voice in a dream. No; 
his enemy heard it also, for, turning 
quickly, the great shark stopped 
instantlv. 



The Sea Children 

“The shark! Armeda 1 Armeda I Chaldea! Come! 
Come ! ” the voice cried. 

The shark, lashing his tail furiously, suddenly shot forth, 
as another fish, very much smaller, came into view, mak- 
ing directly toward the now intensely excited monster. 

At first Prince Elworth could distinguish nothing but 
the swiftly moving fish ; then, as it came nearer, to his 
very great astonishment, he saw, sitting upon his back, 
a young boy armed with a long lance and guiding the 
fish as a warrior guides his horse. Straight toward the 
great shark rode the little champion, holding his lance 
in rest, ready for the encounter. It seemed to the prince 
as if his little rescuer must be overwhelmed at once by 
the great bulk and ferocity of his huge adversary. He 
trembled for his safety, and, forgetful of his own danger, 
called out loudly : “ Beware! Beware ! Thou canst not 
fight the shark ! ” 

Then the battle began. 

At the moment of meeting the youth swerved a little 
to one side, and, as he darted by, thrust his lance deep 
into the side of the shark, and, turning instantly, soon 
overtook the big fish, and wounded him again and again 
before he could come about for another charge. 

The trail of light made by the shark was now streaked 
with red, and the monster, furious with rage and pain, 
thrashed the water into foam with his tail. Had one 
blow struck his enemy the battle would have been ended 
at once. But the youth, darting on his swift fish out of 
reach of the furious blows, called again: “Armeda! 
Armeda ! Chaldea ! Quick ! The shark ! ” 

“ We come, Poulair ! We come ! ” 

Then followed a sight more marvellous than any 
Prince Elworth had ever heard of or dreamed of before. 

A monster sword-fish came swiftly into view, 
and sitting on his back Prince Elworth saw 
a boy, armed like a warrior, with a long lance 



‘“LOOK OUT FOR HIS TAIL! TEMPT HIM DOWNWARD!’” 



The Sea Children 

and a sharp sword. Right at the giant shark he rode. 


There was a shock that disturbed the surrounding water, 
followed by a tremendous struggle; and when the water 
cleared Prince Elworth saw that the sword-fish had 


driven his beak clear through the shark’s body near the 


tail. At the same moment, on the other side of the 
shark, a similar armed boy, mounted on a sturgeon, 
rushed up, piercing the shark again and again with his 
long lance. The commotion which followed was fear- 
ful to behold. Every charge of the sword-fish left a 
great gaping wound, and at every opportunity the riders 
thrust their lances deep into the monster’s fiesh. Sud- 
denly one of them shouted : “ Chaldea, his tail ! Look 
out for his tail ! Tempt him downward ! ” The shark 
had turned, and in his mad fury charged straight toward 
Chaldea, who, being unprepared for the sud- 
nness of the attack, had time to avoid the 
^age jaws only, and was struck from off 
e back of his sturgeon by a slight blow of 
e tail. He fell to the ground, and, as he 
uggled to his feet, the shark wheeled and 
shed down upon him. There was no time, 
chance for him to save himself from the 
jaws of the monster. 



‘‘Armeda! Armeda! To the rescue! 
Quick ! ” and Poulair, all unmindful of 
his own danger, sped straight to where 
Chaldea was struggling to his feet, and, 
leaning forward, seized him, even as the 
ne together with a great 



snap, and threw him on the back of the 
sturgeon in front of him. 


of his great sword-fish, saw 
his opportunity; for, just 
as the shark turned his 


Armeda, sitting astride 


The Sea Children 

white belly upward to seize Chaldea, he shouted excit- 
edly : “Now for him! Charge!” and the great fish, 
obeying the commands of his master, shot down upon 
the unguarded shark with such tremendous force that 
his sword was driven clear through him and, piercing 
a vital spot, killed him almost instantly. The battle 
was ended. The great shark was dead; and his huge 
body floated, stomach upward, toward the withered 
earth where all dead things go. 



ir’ 


CHAPTER III 

Prince Elworth Meets the 
Sea Children 

P RINCE ELWORTH had watched the battle with 
the keenest interest, and when the three mar- 
vellous children had won the victory he joined 
in their shout of triumph and stepped out from his place 
of concealment among the rocks. At that moment 
Poulair caught sight of him, and, instantly turning his 
sturgeon, he hurried to where he stood, and, dismount- 
ing, embraced him rapturously. 

15 


The Sea Children 




“ Thou art saved, Prince 
Elworth ! Thou art saved 
from the dread creature! ” 


Q he cried joyously. “We saw thee not until he 
J) was almost upon thee.” 


Prince Elworth had been astonished beyond measure 


X @ by the sudden coming of these beautiful children ; but 
^ ^ he was still more astonished when one of them called 
him by name. So great was his surprise that he did 
not even thank him for their gallant rescue, but 
exclaimed: “How knowest thou my name? And 
tell me, who art thou ?” 

Instead of answering either of these questions, 
Poulair, as though recollecting something he had 
forgotten, reached forth his hand and, pushing 
aside the neck of Prince Elworth’s jacket, disclosed 
the birthmark that proclaimed him a Sea Child, 

“ Armeda ! Chaldea! See! See!” he exclaimed 
excitedly. “The circle is complete! The promise is 
fulfilled!” 

The two thus called came quickly, and their 
excitement and pleasure at sight of the completed 
circle was so great that Prince Elworth was more 
than ever mystified. He could not comprehend in 


the least what it all meant. 


“ I pray thou wilt not think me rude, 
Ijly Prince Elworth,” Poulair said, “but that 
sign tells us thou art he for whom we 
have long waited. Thou canst not 


know how much thy coming means to 
the Sea Children.” 


“ But I know if thou hadst not come, or if thou hadst 
been a moment later, brave youth, I would not now be 
alive. The shark would have picked me out of that 
hole and have eaten me as easily as those fish eat the 
little stars.” 


6 


The Sea Children 

“And we would have had to wait another two hun- 
dred years,” observed Armeda. 

Prince Elworth looked puzzled. “Thy words bewil- 
der. Who am 1} Who art thou?” 

For answer Poulair brushed aside a great string of 
pearls, which hung about his neck, disclosing, to Prince 
Elworth’s astonishment, a symbol exactly like that upon 
his own breast, excepting that the circle enclosing if 
was not complete. Armeda and 
Chaldea bore the same sym- 
bols with a similar break in 
the circle. “ This will make 
thee understand. Prince El- 
worth, that we are brothers,” 

Poulair said. “We are Sea 
Children. Thou art also a 
Sea Child ; and we have been 
awaiting thee, in this wild and 
dangerous country, for seven 
nights.” 

“Awaiting me!” ex- 
claimed Prince Elworth. 

“Yes; thou wert an earth 
child, but thy time had come 
to leave the withered earth 
and dwell here. Thou wilt know — Oh, Chaldea ! The 
signal! Thou hast forgotten the signal, Chaldea!” 

Chaldea at once lifted a long, quaintly twisted, horn-like 
shell to his lips and blew a deep, musical blast. Then, 
from all points of the compass came answering notes, one 
after another, and gradually increasing in volume, until 
the sound was like the notes of a mammoth church organ 
played among the hills far away and echoed by so many 
cliff-sides that the music became a continuous monotone. 

Prince Elworth listened entranced to the wild, weird 
strains, to this wonderful music of the sea. He turned 

17 





to Poulair to ask him what it meant ; 
but the beautiful sounds drowned 
all words. The music came nearer, 
sounded louder ; and then he saw, 
afar in the distance and rapidly ap- 
proaching, many others like his 
rescuers, each mounted upon a 
large fish. The first to arrive, 
while yet a hundred feet away, 
called out, “Hast found him?” 

“Yes, Eleesor, he is found,” an- 
swered Chaldea, dropping his shell 
to help him dismount, which was 
more an act of love than necessity, 
for, with a bound, Eleesor was off be- 
fore his sturgeon came to a full stop, 
landing almost at Poulair’s feet. 

“This is he,” exclaimed Poulair, 
gently drawing Prince Elworth 
toward him. 

Eleesor quickly stepped forward, 
and threw both arms around Prince 



El worth in an^affectionate^^ 
embrace. 

“ I am glad to know thee, Eleesor, 
and to know that there are more 
Sea Children ; ” and Prince Elworth 
kissed the beautiful face of the Sea 

ir" ' - • 

Child affectionately. 

“ Ah, here come Mora, and 
Khardi, and Perret, and the others ! ” 
exclaimed Poulair. 

i#) 

A dozen Sea Children were now 


dismounting, and one by one they 
came forward joyously to welcome 

Prince Elworth, who felt, so affec- 


tionate were their greetings, that 


these remarkable children were as 


full of love for one another as the 


bright stars upon their foreheads 
were full of light, and that they 
gave out love as freely as the star- 
jewels gave out radiance. Indeed, 
a halo of love floated around them, 
like the aroma around a beautiful 






The Sea Children 

flower, until it seemed to Prince Elworth that he was ] 

as sensible of its sweet sensations as ever he had been, \ 

while an Earth Child, of the fragrance of a violet or 
other sweet-scented bloom. A great gladness came into 
his heart, and he knew that the life of a Sea Child was j 

something more joyous and beautiful than the life of an . 

Earth Child could ever be. His past existence, ended ’ 

only a few hours before, faded from his memory as j 

though that life were a dream and this was reality. He j 

felt as if something that he had been longing for all ^ 

his life, without knowing exactly what it was, had now | 

been granted to him. He was in a new world, a won- i 

derful world, but it was home to him ; and all the Sea | 

Children were like brothers 
whom he had just come 
to know. The water 
was much more pleas- 
ant to breathe than the 
dry earth air, and his 
body had never before felt 
so light and so vigorous as it 
did now. It was as if new life and strength and joy 
had been breathed into him. 

For a time Prince Elworth was kept busy greeting and 
answering the questions of the Sea Children, who were 
as excited and as happy as he, and wanted to embrace 
him again and again, like loving little children who had 
been long parted. But presently, missing Poulair, Prince 
Elworth turned to look for him, and saw him standing 
near by engaged in an earnest conversation with Mora. 

A look of concern on Poulair’s face prompted Prince 
Elworth to step quickly to his side and ask, “What is 
it, my Poulair ? ” 

“ Mora says that there are three more sharks, all 
monsters in size, around here,” answered Poulair. 

“ Three more, like that one ? ” asked Prince Elworth, 




20 



“POULAIR, PUSHING ASIDE THE NECK OF PRINCE ELWORTH’S JACKET, 
DISCOVERED THE MARKS WHICH PROCLAIMED HIM A SEA CHILD'’ 



The Sea Children 

pointing upward. ‘‘Thou 
must give me something 
to help kill them with, if 
they should attack us. 
Hast thou not an extra 
lance ? ” 

“ Yes, indeed, thou shalt 
have one,” answered Mora ; 
“for of a truth thou 
dost look as though thou 
wouldst make a stronger 
warrior than any of us, 
thou art so very big. What 
a giant thou art, my prince ! 
thou art head and shoulders 
above us all ; but I do not 
fear an attack from them 
at present. What think- 
est thou, Poulair.?” 

“ I think thou hadst 
better post thy soldiers 
at once, and discuss this 
afterward.” 

“Thou art right, Pou- 
lair;” and Mora, turning, 
called in as loud a tone as 
his sweet voice would al- 
low, “ Chaldea, Armeda, 
Khardi.” 

Each of these warriors 
answered at once, kissing 
their hands as a salute. 

Mora swept his hand 
to the right. “ Patrol 
in circle twenty lengths 
away,” he commanded. 



The Sea Children 

“ Chaldea, thy musicians 
are to continue.” 

Each of the warriors 
named clapped his hands, 
and called his steed, and 
in a moment more had 
mounted and was away, fol- 
lowed by eight Sea Chil- 
dren similarly mounted. 

“ Eleesor, thou shalt 
patrol above,” Mora again 
commanded ; “ and thou. 
Ferret, prepare the chariot 
for our return to Bassynia.” 
As soon as he saw that 
these commands were ex- 
ecuted, Mora turned to 
resume his conversation 
with Poulair and Prince 
Elworth. 

“ Oh, what a beautiful 
sight ! How wonderful 
they ride ! ” Prince El- 
worth exclaimed, as he 
saw the Sea Children dart 
away on their swift steeds. 
“ How much brighter are 
the stars upon their fore- 
heads than the swimming 
stars, and the music, how 
sweet it is ! Thou art a 
great soldier to have ar- 
ranged such a formation 
so quickly, my Mora.” 

“ A soldier of necessity, 
my prince, for we Sea 



The Sea Children 



Children love not lighting ; but thy coming will soon 
bring peace.” 

“ We hope,” interrupted Poulair. “ Thou must not 
be too sanguine, Mora.” 

“ We hope,” repeated Mora, with just a touch of sad- 
ness in his voice. “Thou art, perhaps, less sanguine 
than thy Mora, Poulair, but Prince Elworth shalt reach 
Atlantea if I die in the attempt to get him there.” 

“ Spoken like the soldier thou art ; but thou for- 
gettest that the same fate would befall us all,” answered 
Poulair. 

“ Better so than to fail, Poulair.” 

“ Ah, there is where we differ, my fierce brother. 
Better life without Alledra’s jewel than death with- 
out it.” 

“What meanest thou, Mora, in saying that my 
coming will bring peace.? What have I to do with 
it.?” asked Prince Elworth. 

“ Hast not told him, Pou- 
lair .? ” questioned Mora. 

“ I have had no time to 


explain as yet, 
Mora. We sum- 
moned thee as soon as 
the shark was conquered. 
I will tell thee about it while on the wav to Bassynia, 
my prince.” Then, again turning to Mora, Poulair 
continued : “ Didst ever see a shark larger than one 
sturgeon’s length in these waters before ? and didst note 
that the one we killed measured three lengths ? What 
does that suggest to thee, Mora ? ” 


The Sea Children 

‘‘Just what I have always thought, since Alledra’s 
jewel lost its power over them,” replied Mora. “Are 
they not many days’ journey from their climate .? Have 
we ever left our cities of recent years without being 
followed by them .? ” 

“ Thou surely dost not think that they actually know. 


“Thou knowest that they have no fear of the 
mantle now, and as a consequence we have to fight 
them. When they did fear it they kept as far away 
from us as they could.” 

This conversation was intensely interesting to Prince 
Elworth ; but it mystified him more than ever. 

“ And the squids’ strange friendship for the shark 
during the last few years strengthens thy belief, I pre- 
sume,” continued Poulair. 

“ Indeed, it does, Poulair. I have seen a hungry 
shark pass through a whole school of squids and not 
touch one of them. Canst think there is no reason 
for this.?” 

“ I suppose thou art right, Mora, but what thinkest 





thou about returning to Bassynia 
at once ? ” 

Daylight is but an hour or 
two away. Why not wait until 
then ? With light to aid us we 
may locate those other fellows, if 
they are still here.” 

‘Wery well. Ah, here comes 
Ferret.” 

Prince Elworth saw a graceful 
shell-like chariot approaching in 
which Ferret sat directing, with a 
long lance, the movements of two 
spans of magnificent king sturgeons, 
the largest he had ever seen. He 
noticed that the forward pair car- 
ried saddles similar to those at- 
tached to the sturgeons ridden by 
the Sea Children. Could he have 
looked forward but a few days to 
an incident in which he owed his 
life to one of these sturgeons he 




513 

would have looked with greater 
interest at the graceful creatures. 

‘‘ Thou hadst better unloose thy 
steeds, Ferret. We have decided 
to wait till break of day,” Poulair 
said. 

Prince Elworth and Poulair now 
walked toward the beautiful chariot 
arm in arm, like brothers ; but be- 
fore they came to it there was a 
great shout, and Prince Elworth 
saw the warrior Sea Children dart 
swiftly away, and heard the dread 
cry, ‘‘ The shark ! the shark ! ” 
The word had more meaning to 
him now ; but with that cordon of 
brave youths surrounding him he 
could hardly feel fear, even with 
the memory of his experience of an 
hour ago still fresh in his mind. 

At the first shout Mora leaped 
upon his great sword-fish, Argo, and 





The Sea Children 


calling Perrct to follow, darted to the scene of activity, 
leaving Poulair and Prince Elworth alone. 

‘‘ There are two of them, Poulair. Shall we not go 
and help kill them ” and Prince Elworth’s eyes fol- 
lowed anxiously the vanishing form of Mora. 

Oh, no, they will be gone in a minute. They 
want to eat the one we killed; that is all. Think of 
it ! — as soon as their comrade is dead he is no longer 
a comrade ; he is food. They dare not attack so many 
of us, the cowardly giants. Come, let us sit in thy 
chariot, and watch them ; ” and Poulair gently drew 
Prince Elworth toward the great chariot near which 
they had stopped at the cry of “the shark.’* 

“ Is this my chariot.?” asked Prince Elworth, as they 
stepped in and seated themselves. “How comfortable 
it is, and how wonderful ! Why, it is a huge shell, 
isn’t it?” 

“Yes, it is from the deep sea below Illwa; thou shalt 
see where it came from in a few days. Wouldst have me 
tell thee about the Sea Children now, my prince ? ” 


The Sea Children 

“Yes, that would be delightful. I am both curious 
and anxious to know more about thyself and thy — my 
brethren.? They are my brethren, thou hast said; and, 
oh, Poulair! tell me what Mora meant by saying that 
my coming would bring peace.” 



CHAPTER IV 

Prince Elworth hears a Wonderful 
Story concerning the 
Sea Children 

P OULAIR remained silent a moment, thinking; 
then he said, smiling : “ Thy coming, my prince, 
we hope will make the keeping of our army 
together unnecessary.” 

“Thou speaketh strangely, Poulair. How can that 
be possible.? What have I to do with it.?” 

“ Nothing, unless we can get thee to Atlantea ; and 
then everything^ for when thou hast seen Princess 
Pathania — ” 

“Princess Pathania?” interrupted Prince Elworth. 

“ Yes.” 

“ Surely, that was the name of a cousin of mine who 
disappeared long, long ago. I remember being told 
about her when a child. She — why, Poulair! she was 
said to have jumped into the sea at night, just as I have 
done, and — how strange, Poulair I — music was heard 

29 


The Sea Children 


coming up from the sea for Hours afterward. That is 
also like my experience.” Prince Elworth was lost in 
thought for a moment, then suddenly looking down 
straight into Poulair’s laughing eyes he exclaimed : ‘‘ I 
see it all, Poulair; Princess Pathania — ” 

Poulair nodded encouragingly. 

“ — was a Sea Child,” continued Prince Elworth. 

“ Not was, my prince, but is.” 

Prince Elworth looked disappointed. “Then it can- 
not be the same one, Poulair, for this occurred two hun- 
dred years ago.” 

“ Yes, exactly two hundred years ago to-night.” 
Poulair laughed again. “But it is the same Princess 
Pathania, our beloved one, my prince, who rules and 
reigns over the Sea Children.” 

Prince Elworth was silent. He looked astonished, 
then puzzled. He pictured in his mind an old, a very 
old, wrinkled woman, a tottering, feeble, witch-like 
creature. Could such a one be ruler over these beauti- 
ful children? 

“Let me explain,”, said Poulair. 
much about Earth People’s 
history ? ” 

“A little, Poulair.” 

“ Rememberest thou a great 
war between the Earth People 
from a country called Persia and 
another called Sparta, in which 
great sea battles were fought in 
their sea chariots?” 

“ Galleys ? ” interrogated 
Poulair, eagerly. 

“ Oh, yes, they call them galleys. 

I had forgotten the name, for Sea 
Children call all Earth People’s 
vessels chariots. Well, these Persians 


Knowest thou 



The Sea Children 

were expected to come by sea to attack the Spartans. 
A year before they had come by land, with an army of 
a million against a few thousand, but were defeated by 
strategy.” 

“ I remember,” exclaimed Prince Elworth. “ It was 
a mountain pass, and eight hundred Spartans above rolled 
big rocks down upon them, or something like that.” 

‘^That was it,” and Poulair smiled. ‘‘Well, the 
soldier who planned that was my father.” 

Prince Elworth was amazed at this statement. “ Why, 
my Poulair, that was centuries and centuries ago. Thou 
art surely not more than twelve years old yet, my Pou- 
lair. How couldst he have been thy father ? ” asked 
Prince Elworth in astonishment. 

Poulair smiled, and continued : “ Thou shalt see. 
When the Persians came again with all those galleys it 
was my twelfth birthday ; and as I stood on a great 
cliff with my mother and sisters, watching the battle 
all day long and far into the night, I felt the desire 
creep upon me to plunge into the sea. I could not 
resist it, and leaped from the cliff mto the water. Oh, 
I remember it as though it were yesterday ! I remember 
how my mother and sisters shrieked. I remember how 
much more wholesome this sea atmosphere was to 
breathe than the dry, withered earth atmosphere. 

I became a Sea Child from that moment. — Thou 
seemest astonished, my prince.” 

“ Indeed, I am, my Poulair, to think that thou 
art so many centuries old ; but it was 
not that which made me look at thee 
so suddenly. I was wondering whether 
any big shark chased thee into a hole 
in the rocks, and whether thou wert 
as frightened as I was. Ugh — what 
a big, cruel mouth he had ! ” 

“ Fortunately, no. I met other Sea 





Children at once. There were 
but few of us, less than five hun- 
dred, but we were masters of our 
enemies then,” — looking up into 
Prince Elworth’s eyes, — “ and 
shall be again soon, thanks to 
thy coming.” 

Again their attention was dis- 
tracted by loud shouts and the 
quick movements of the guard, 
as they tried to surround and kill 
one of the sharks which had ven- 
tured too close ; but the great mon- 
ster was wary and swift, and escaped, 
soon vanishing in the gloom of the 
distant waters ; and the excited 
guards returned, shouting and laugh- 
ing, to their various posts. 

When all had quieted down 
again Prince Elworth asked ; “Wilt 
thou tell me, my Poulair, what are 





those beautiful lights that thou dost 
all wear upon thy foreheads, and 
what are the beautiful, shimmering, 
gauze-like capes that float from thy 
shoulders ? Dost thou know, Poulair, 
I thought I saw them flash like what 
Earth People call heat lightning, when 
thou earnest to my rescue ? Did I, or 
was I mistaken in my excitement? ” 

“No, thou wert not mistaken. 
Let me tell thee a story. Prince 
Elworth, a remarkable story thou 
wilt acknowledge.” 

Prince Elworth assented with 
eagerness. 

“ A very long time ago the Sea 
Children had no enemies at all. 
That was long before I became a 
Sea Child, and when there were 
only a few of them in existence. 
They lived in a beautiful lake, 



The Sea Children 

which one could cross in a day, and around which were 
the cities and villas of the Earth People. There were 
no hshes longer than a primpod, and such a thing as a 
shark had never even been dreamed of. Well, one day 
a dreadful thing happened. The Sea Children heard 
awful noises. The earth cracked all around them ; then 
everything seemed to be slowly sinking, sinking, sink- 
ing. The beautiful sea atmosphere became muddy- 
brown, and had a rich taste. Of course the Sea Children 
were very much frightened, and kept close within their 
grotto. After a few days the thundering noises and the 
sinking ceased, and the Sea Children ventured timidly 
forth to see what had happened. Well, they could n’t 
see much, owing to the mud fog, but they saw more 
than they wished.” Poulair smiled as though the recol- 
lection of their embarrassment amused him, then con- 
tinued : “ Imagine their surprise and consternation when 

they saw fishes very much bigger than themselves, swim- 
ming about eating each other up, after the manner of 
fishes. Chaldea can tell thee how frightened they were, 
— he was there, — and how they ran back into their grotto 
as fast as their legs could carry them. When they again 
appeared they carried hastily improvised lances and 




swords, for their protection; and then — what do you 
think they saw? The mud fog had cleared away, and 
all was blue and green again ; but what surprised them 
most was the fact that they could see great distances. 
Before that, my prince, their vision was limited by the 
boundary walls of their lake. Now they could see over 
hills and valleys. There was a horizon to their world. 
Dost imagine what had caused this, my prince ? ” 

“ Why, it must have been an earthquake, and when 
the land sank the lake was joined to the ocean. Am I 
right ? ” 

“ That was it exactly, my prince, and — ” 

“ And the change in taste was due to the salt of the 
ocean ? ” interrupted Prince Elworth, interrogatively. 

“Yes, that was it. Well, to continue the story, they 
soon found that many of the big fishes were more afraid 
of them than they were of the fishes ; but Thirza had 
an adventure with one that nearly cost his life. That 
was the first enemy the Sea Children discovered. Soon 
afterward — ” 

“Oh, tell me how Thirza escaped, Poulair.” 

“ It will be more interesting to have Thirza tell the 
tale himself. Then thou canst get it first hand.” 

“ But was the fish a shark ? ” 

“ No, my prince, it had a long sword in front of its 
head. It was a sword-fish.” 

“ Like Mora’s Argo ? Why, are they not thy 
friends ? ” 

“That, my prince, is another interesting story. Mora 
will tell thee all about it.” 


N 


35 


The Sea Children 


“ But, tell me this, Poulair, if the land had sunken, 
could not the Earth People’s houses be seen?” 

“ Ah, yes, that is just the point of my story. There 
they were, great palaces of pure white marble, some of 
them tipped with minarets of gold. Wonderful and 
beautiful, my prince, as thou shalt see. One day the 
Sea Children thought they saw some one moving in 
the garden of one of these palaces. Perhaps it was 
only a fish, but as there was always the possibility of 
an Earth Child becoming a Sea Child, they shouted 
and blew blasts on their mogle shells. Some one was 
there, my prince. He heard them and ran to the edge 
of the cliff that used to bound the lake. 
The Sea Children blew harder than ever then, 
id the stranger waved his hand, and at once 
began to descend into the valley. Chaldea 
and the other Sea Children hurried to meet 
him, fearing that harm might come to him. 
Indeed, they had not gone very far before three 
great monsters, ten times larger than the one 
from which Thirza had escaped, appeared from 
behind a hill. They seemed as big as moun- 
tains, my prince, — but don’t be alarmed, they 
were only whales, and perfectly harmless. 
The Sea Children did not know this, and 
were much frightened because of the enor- 
mous size of the monsters. Of course the 
whales paid no attention to the shrinking 
figure on the cliff-side, but the Sea Children 
and the stranger were too frightened to 
move until they had disappeared ; then 
they again started toward each other. 
Now comes the interesting part of the 
story. They had come within fifty 
lengths or so of the stranger, when he 
^suddenly shouted to them to look out, 
36 



i 



“‘A BLINDING FLASH OF LIGHT SHOT OUT FROM THE MANTLE 
HANGING FROM THE STRANGER’S SHOULDERS.’” 



and pointed in the direction from which they had 
come. They turned quickly, and saw rushing toward 
them a huge, white-hellied, hideous monster. The Sea 
Children immediately crouched close together, with their 
faces outward, as they had trained themselves to do, so 
that a bristle of lances stuck out all around them like 
the pricklers on a porcupine fish. This proved too 
much for the cowardly monster. He retreated, leav- 
ing a red streak in his wake, but to our brothers’ 
horror, he went directly toward the stranger, who was 
even then bracing himself against a rock as though ex- 
pecting the attack, as thou didst. Prince Elworth, save 
that thou wert fortunate enough to find a crevice.” 

Poulair paused to follow the movements of the guard, 
for something was taking place olf to the right. 

“ Pray don’t stop, Poulair, please. What did he do.? 
What could he do ? ” 

“ He stood perfectly still, and as straight as a gottle ’ 
tree in the deep forest ; Chaldea says that the horror 
of what was about to happen made such an impression 
upon him that he often dreams of it, even now, after all 
these centuries.” 

Prince Elworth shuddered visibly, as the memory of 
his own narrow escape recurred to him. 



The Sea Children 

“ Well, something did happen, but not to the stranger. 
Just before the big fish reached him a blinding flash 
of light shot out from the mantle hanging from the 
stranger’s shoulders, — a light as bright as the sun and 
full of lightning streaks. For a moment the flash 
blinded the Sea Children, but when they could see 
clearly again, there was the youth, standing all un- 
harmed, and the lifeless body of his enemy was floating 
upward where all dead things go.” 

“What did the Sea Children do then, Poulair ? ” 

“ Why, naturally they ran and embraced the stranger, 
asking him a thousand questions all at once, and es- 
pecially about the light that killed the shark ; for it was 
a shark, the first one in the life of Sea Children. The 
stranger told them a wonderful story. His name was 
Alledra. One night, so ran his story, a dream angel 
came to his bedside and told him that he belonged to 
the sea and not to the earth. Here the stranger, Alledra, 
uncovered his breast, showing a mark like thine. Prince 
Elworth, with a complete circle around it, which all 
the Sea Children looked at in wonder, for the circles 





on their own breasts were broken. 
The dream angel then told him that 
the Earth People were to be driven 
a thousand leagues away, to an- 
other land, and that all who refused 
to go would perish. ‘Thou must 
remain, Alledra,’ said the angel ; 
‘ but take this jewel and mantle, 
and when thou hast put the jewel 
upon thy forehead it will become 
a protection to thee. It is imbued 
with a power which thou shalt 
control by thy will, a power which 
shall last for two hundred years. 
Then in seven generations hence 
another Sea Child will be born into 
thy family, whose touch shall re- 
store its power to the jewel for 
another seven generations, and so 
on as long as there are any Sea 
Children. This is the parent jewel 
from the Meedas in the deep sea. 





m- 

seven leagues toward the setting 
sun. There thou shalt find more 
that will answer to the touch of 
this one. Go, and procure one for 
each Sea Child, and give it life 
from thine.’ Alledra thought that 
it was all a dream; but on awaken- 
ing in the morning, he found the 
jewel and mantle upon him, and 
also felt a power he had never 
before known. 

The jewel responded to his will 
just as his arm did. Then came 
the earthquakes, and — well, the 
rest I have told thee. Now thou 
knowest what these beautiful jewels 
and mantles are that we all wear, 
and how important thy coming is 
to the Sea Children, for the power 
of the jewels is waning fast. There 
is hardly enough life left in them to 



The Sea Children 

shock a minnil, but the touch of thy fingers, my 
prince, will restore the power of Alledra’s jewel, and 
then — ” 

‘‘ Then the Sea Children will again fear no foe,” 
interrupted Mora, dramatically. 

“ Wonderful ! Wonderful ! ” exclaimed Prince El- 
worth, looking around upon his new-found friends. 
“If my touch will do all this, come, let us hurry and 
get to the place where the jewel is.” 

The Sea Children exchanged meaning glances, but said 
nothing further than, “ Yes, let us go at once.” 



CHAPTER V 

Prince Elworth learns more of 
his New IVorld and sends Surprises 
to Some Fishermen 

S treaks of daylight were now sifting through 
the water, and slowly the darkness fled, until the 
waters all around glowed with a soft shimmering 
radiance; and day had dawned on a world more beau- 
tiful and marvellous to the eyes of Prince Elworth than 
pen or brush can describe or paint. 

“How beautiful!” he exclaimed. “How wonder- 
ful it all is ! I know I shall be very, very happy here. 

42 


The Sea Children 

But the light, where does the beautiful light come from ? 
I see no sun.” 

“Thou canst not see the sun for an hour or two yet, 
my prince, but the same sun that gives light to the 
Earth World illuminates the Sea World, but the rays 
are not so dry. They do not burn one as they do on 
the dry earth.” 

The light was indeed beautiful. It diffused its shim- 
mering rays over everything in the wonderful Sea World 
landscape, softening their shadows and vibrating with 
the motion of the waters. 



“ How full of life, of motion, the sea is!” exclaimed 
Prince Elworth. “ Life is everywhere, overhead, around, 
and underneath. Why, what a battleground thy world 
is, my brethren I ” and Prince Elworth watched with the 
keenest of interest the wonderful scene around him. 
Fishes of all sizes, from the smallest minnow to the 
great sword-fishes, were darting about, eating one another 
up in as calm a manner as though feeding upon berries. 
Suddenly a fish would dart at a smaller one, and miss 
him. Then would follow a hot chase. Sometimes the 
little fish would get away, but more often the mouth 
of the big fish would open just behind the tail of the 
smaller fish, and then — his hour descended upon him. 
One little fish near Prince Elworth wheeled so suddenly 

43 


The Sea Children 

that, instead of dodging, he dove head first into the 
mouth of his pursuer, much to Prince Elworth’s 
amazement. 

Thou hadst better call in thy steeds now,” Pou- 
lair said. “ The chariot is ready, and day has 
dawned.” 

“ Am I going to ride in the chariot ? Why not 
upon one of thy sword-fishes ? ” asked Prince 
Elworth. 

‘‘ Thou wouldst find it rather difficult without 
practice, my prince,” answered Poulair. ‘‘ Thou 
wouldst be wiggled off before thou hadst gone ten 
lengths. The movements of a fish are so peculiar 
that one has to become accustomed to them. Thou 
wilt see for thyself when thou dost ride one. Now, 
if thou wilt step into the chariot, my prince, — there, 
that is right. I shall ride with thee, for the stur- 
geons are not accustomed to thy voice ; ” and Poulair 
took a seat by the side of Prince Elworth in the 
beautiful chariot. 

All was now ready, and Mora gave the signal to 
start, himself leading the way upon Argo. 

The advance was made in military order. Upon 
the right was Armeda’s sword-fish guard, preceded by 
Perret’s sturgeon-guard. On the left were Eleesor’s 
sword-fish and Khardi’s sturgeon-guard, while be- 
tween them rode Poulair and Prince Elworth in the 
chariot drawn by two pairs of magnificent sturgeons. 
Chaldea’s musicians, mounted on sturgeons, brought 
up the rear, and from time to time played softly on their 
sweet-sounding mogle shells. The motion of the shell 
chariot through the water was very pleasant, while the 
novelty and beauty of his surroundings were sources of 
never-failing delight to Prince Elworth. 

Suddenly Poulair thrust forth a hand and quickly 
caught a small object. “ See, my prince, here is one 


The Sea Children 

of thy ‘ stars ’ of last night ; ” and he passed to him the 
little transparent jelly thimble he had caught. It is 
not much like a star now, is it ? ” 

“ Oh, I have seen thousands of these on the beach 
when I was an Earth Child, but never dreamed they 
could be so beautiful at night!” exclaimed Prince 
Elworth, gently releasing the bit of jelly and allowing 
it to float away. 

“And here is one of our sea-moons, my prince;” 
and Poulair placed in his hand a peculiar, round, 
jelly-like body. 

“ Why, this is a jelly-fish,” responded Prince Elworth. 
“ Some Earth People call them sunfish, because they 
melt in the sunlight when cast up on the beaches.” 

“Poor things!” answered Poulair. “To be eaten 
up is not so bad, for it is quickly done. But to melt 
in that dry, burning light, — oh, that must be dread- 
ful ! The sunlight in our world is much more kind.” 
Poulair paused, and glancing quickly upward pointed 
his lance to where a dozen or more black spots might 
be seen very high up in the sea-atmosphere. 

“What are they?” asked Prince Elworth. 

“ They are the Earth People’s fishing chariots,” an- 
swered Poulair. “ Mora is heading to one side to avoid 
their long lines and hooks. We have had great fun 
with them these few days while waiting thy coming. 
We drove a great school of cod and bonito toward 
their hooks so that they could get as many as they 
wanted.” 

“ Why, Poulair, they have come in with great boat loads 
of them for a week ! That, then, is the reason for it?” 

For a moment Prince Elworth was lost in thought, 
then he asked earnestly, “ Dost ever communicate with 
Earth People, Poulair ? ” 

“ Oh, no, no,” answered Poulair, quickly. 

“ Why not ? ” 


45 


The Sea Children 

“That we must never do again, my prince. Not but 
what we would like to, for we might often be of ser- 
vice to them ; but every attempt so far has ended disas- 
trously to the Earth People. Indeed, we ourselves have 
had some very unpleasant experiences. Leora, one of 
Khardi’s guard, who became a Sea Child about fifty 
years ago, was the last one to try it. Ask him to tell 
thee what happened.” 

Prince Elworth looked disappointed. Poulair, observ- 
ing this, added, “Why didst thou ask, my prince?” 

“Because those fishermen all know me well, and I 
thought it would be a good idea to send word by 
them to my father that I am alive and with the Sea 
Children.” 

“How? Dost mean that thou wouldst put thy head 
up into the dry earth atmosphere and talk to them?” 

“ Yes, Poulair, just for a moment.” 

“ Why, my prince, thou couldst not breathe, thou 
couldst not utter a sound ; and, besides, thou wouldst 
scare the poor Earth People to death, they are so 
superstitious.”' 

“ See, Poulair,” said Prince Elworth, pointing up- 
ward toward the boats, now directly 
above them, “ that very wide green boat 
is my Mollin’s, who has loved me well 
since childhood.” Then, waving his 
hand toward the boat, he cried : “ Fare- 
thee-well, my good Mollin. Fare-thee- 
well; thou hast loved me.” 

“ Wouldst give thy Mollin a gift, my 
prince ? ” asked Poulair. 

The eager look in Prince 
Elworth’s eyes was answer 



J 



TYING GIFTS TO EARTH PEOPLE'S COD LINES 




a©Q< 


enough. Poulair blew a short, 
quick note upon his mogle shell, 
causing the whole procession to 
stop, and Mora and several others 
to hasten to the chariot. 

“Let us wait a minute, Mora,” 
said Poulair, “ while Prince El- 
worth ties a gift to yonder line. 
What shalt thou give him, my 
prince? Take thy choice.” 

There was a great variety to 
choose from, for each Sea Child 
offered some article of beauty, 
either of gold coins and orna- 
ments, pink coral, pearls, or other 
sea jewels. Khardi held in his 
hand a beautiful pearl bracelet, 
saying, “Why not send this? I 
gave the mate of it to one of the 
Earth People two days ago, be- 
cause he seemed to catch no fish. 




The Earth People always seem to 
be pleased whenever we do send 
them gifts in this way, for they 
stop fishing at once, and row away 
as fast as they can go.” 

“Why, Khardi, dost know what 
happened to the man to whom 
thou gavest the gift?” 

“ Nothing disastrous, I hope,’ 
said Khardi, anxiously. “ I looked 
yesterday for the same chariot, but 
it had not returned, nor is it there 
now.” 

“ The man took his lovely brace- 
let of pearls and pink coral to the 
town goldsmith and told how he 
got it. No one believed him, for 
the man is not strictly trustworthy, 
so they put him in prison.” 

“ Oh, what a pity ! what a pity!” 
exclaimed Chaldea. “ There is 





another lesson for us. Even that has done harm. 
Everything we do for them always does.” 

“ Which proves that we must let the Earth People 
entirely alone,” added Poulair. “ Perhaps, Prince El- 
worth, thou hadst better not give thy Mollin a gift, 
after all.” 

‘‘ Why, Poulair,” exclaimed Khardi, his voice giving 
evidence of sincere regret at the harm he had uncon- 
sciously caused, “ that is just the thing to do ! If this 
Earth Man, Mollin, is trustworthy, the Earth Men will 
then believe, and they will set the other one free.” 

“ Perhaps this one will be afraid to show his bracelet, 
for fear of the same fate,” suggested Eleesor. 

“ Something must be done to set him free,” said 
Khardi, earnestly. “ I have it — why not give them all 
a gift?” 

“Yes, yes, give them all a gift,” every one responded, 
“ then they must believe.” 

Khardi gave the bracelet to Prince Elworth. The 
chariot had been allowed to settle upon the ground, 
and Poulair and Prince Elworth jumped out. Prince 
Elworth carefully tied Khardi’s bracelet to one of 

50 


k 


The Sea Children 

Mollin’s hooks, and was just about to give it a twitch 
when an idea suggested itself to him. He removed 
from his finger a ring which his mother had given to 
him, and put this in his silken purse with ten gold 
coins that the king, his father, had given him as a birth- 
day gift. Then he tied the purse to another one of the 
hooks, and gave the line a number of short, quick jerks. 
It was instantly drawn up. Some of the other Sea 
Children had tied gifts to the other fishermen’s hooks, 
and one by one they were all pulled upward, with their 
catch of gold coins centuries old, and gems of great 
value to Earth People, though of no value to Sea 
Children except for their beauty. 

Poulair smiled, and, looking upward, said; “ I should 
not wonder if they were a very much surprised group 
about now.” 

“ Could we hear what they were saying to each other 
if we went up a few lengths ? ” asked Prince Elworth. 

“ Oh, no, we cannot hear anything from above the 
surface of our atmosphere, except loud noises like those 
that come after lightning ; nor can we see anything 
above it except bright lights and dim outlines. Dost 
notice that nothing but the bottom of the chariots are 
visible ? ” 

“ See,” said Mora, they are moving.” 


The Sea Children 

And so they were ; one after another they all rowed 
away toward their homes. 

“ Didst notice that I tied my purse and ring on 
Mollin’s line, Poulair ? ” asked Prince Elworth. 

“Yes, my prince; that was a good idea, for thy 
Mollin will probably recognise them, and give them 
to thy parents. I can see no possibility of harm com- 
ing from it ; and yet our beloved Usheen had a very 
grievous experience as the result of doing about the 
same thing, save that he wrote a message telling his 
father where he had gone.” 

“Usheen?” repeated Prince Elworth, interrogatively. 
“ Usheen ? Let me see, where have I heard that name ? 
It seems very familiar to me indeed.” Eor a moment 
he was silent. The name Usheen stirred indistinct 
memories of something far back in his childhood. 
“Well, I can’t place it now.” 

“ Usheen is our beloved brother, who dwells in 
Bassynia. Thou shalt have cause to love him after 
thou hast been welcomed in Bassynia, my prince,” 
answered Poulair. 

There was something significant in the way Poulair 
said this. 


The Sea Children 


CHAPTER VI 

The Migration of Seals 

T he procession was now again under way, and 
moving swiftly toward Bassynia. 

It was a wonderful journey to Prince Elworth. 
There was always something new and marvellous to be 
seen ; but so swift was the motion of his chariot that 
he could catch only glimpses of the strange and novel 
forms of animal and plant life around him. Over hills 
and across valleys, through rocky chasms and great 
forests, swept the chariot and its guard of Sea Children. 
There was something very pleasant and graceful in the 
motion of the shell chariot through the water, and the 
sea air had a cool, exhilarating effect upon Prince 
Elworth, who so recently had been breathing the dry 
earth atmosphere. Once, for just a moment, one of the 
sharks appeared in view, about half a league to the 



The Sea Children 


right, which confirmed Poulair’s theory that they would 
follow, taking advantage of the forests of algae, the hills, 
sandbars, and rock ledges, to hide them from the Sea 
Children. 

“ Oh, what miserable cowards they are,” said Poulair, 
turning to point out the fleeing white monster. ‘‘ See 
him go ! ” 

‘‘ Why are they afraid to show themselves } ” asked 
Prince Elworth. 

“ Because they are not so fast as our swift steeds and 
they know it. They have reason to know it. In a 
dash perhaps they could hold their own, but they could 
not keep it up very long. Why, my prince, if we were 




to chase that fellow now, 
even with the advantage 
he has, we would overtake him in half an 
hour, if he did but stay in the open ; but he 
would not do that, so it is useless to try.” 

“Look, look, Poulair, isn’t that a small 
shark down there?” asked Prince Elworth, 
pointing down and to the right. 

“Yes, my prince,” answered Poulair, looking in the 
direction indicated. “ But he is a sea-weed shark, and 
perfectly harmless, except to our deal gardens.” 

“He is the Sea Children’s crow in the cornfields,” 
said a voice near by. 

Prince Elworth turned and recognised Leora, whom 
Poulair had referred to as the last Sea Child who had 
come to them. 

“ Thou hast not forgotten the Earth People’s world 
entirely, my Leora, I see,” responded Prince Elworth. 

54 


The Sea Children 

“ Oh, no, my prince ; it seems but a very short time 
since I left it.” 

‘‘What gluttons these fishes are!” Prince Elworth 
exclaimed, as he watched the constant battle for life 
going on around him. “I should think they would 
eat each other all up.” 

“ If they did not eat each other, my prince, the sea 
would soon be so full of them that there would not 
be room to move about,” answered Poulair. 

“ Birds of the earth do not eat each other, yet they 
do not fill the air. There is still plenty of open space,” 
argued Prince Elworth. 

“Birds of the earth? Let 
me see, how many young 
have they, my prince ? I have 
forgotten.” 

“ Oh, about three to six 
a year,” answered Prince El- 
worth. 

“ Three to six a year 
only ! What wouldst thou 
think if I told thee that one shell-fish, like that 
whose shell thou didst admire this morning, would 
become the parent of thousands and thousands of off- 
spring in a few months, if none of its eggs were eaten 
or destroyed, and all hatched. So would the cod. 
Millions of their eggs are eaten by other fishes, mil- 
lions of the young are devoured, perhaps by their own 
parents, and even when full-grown they are still dodg- 
ing some bigger fish, or being caught by the Earth 
People. The dry earth does not produce life so fast as 
it is produced here. On earth the sun burns ; here the 
heavier atmosphere diffuses its rays so that it simply 
nourishes and illumes. When thou art in Patua’s warm 
waters — ” 

“The seals 1 The seals!” shouted one of the scouts, 
55 




excitedly pointing off to the right. 
All looked in the direction in- 
dicated. 

At first Prince Elworth could 
see nothing, but when Poulair 
called his attention to a long, 
black line near the surface that 
was moving slowly toward them, 
he too became excited and ex- 
pectant. 

“Shall we go?” called Mora, 
turning about. 

“Yes, yes,” every one responded 
gaily, and the procession was 
headed toward the seals, the speed 
increasing fourfold. 

“ Hold tightly, my prince,’ 
Poulair said. 

“ Whew ! Why, we are fairly 
flying, Poulair ! But what are 
the seals doing ? Where are 




Prince Elworth 


“ They go up to the icy sea 
every year, thousands and thou 
sands of them, and stay until their 
funny little baby seals are born. 
We journeyed there once, and 
found that they lived on the with- 
ered earth during that time. It 
was very cold up there, and we 
could n’t stay very long.” 

“ Didst see that ! ” shouted Mora, 
pointing to a white flash that 
disappeared in the “under-alga” 
just as they rounded a hill. “ Now 
I know where the other one of the 
three sharks is. Two to the right 
and one to the left. Ah, that is 
their game, is it .? Well, wait until 
we cross the Silver Plains — ” 

“ What then .? ” asked Prince 
Elworth. 








The Sea Children 

“ There is no vegetation there, nothing but sand, and 
perhaps we can get a chance to chase them,” explained 
Poulair. 

By this time they had come close to the seals. 

Oh, what a number of them!” exclaimed Prince 
Elworth. “ Will they be afraid of us Why hast 
thou caught that porgie, Poulair?” 

“ Catch one thyself. Prince Elworth. Quickly I 
There, thou hast missed. Take mine,” and he put 
the tail of the squirming fish into Prince Elworth’s 
hand, who now noticed that nearly all the Sea Chil- 
dren had caught some fish or other. 

‘‘ It requires considerable practice to catch them, my 
prince. See, I missed that one. Ah, not this one, 
though,” and he held up a wiggling mackerel as proof 
of his assertion. 

“ What are they for, Poulair ? Oh, I nearly lost 
mine I ” 

*‘For the seals, my prince.” 

A moment more and the procession was almost un- 
derneath the swiftly moving animals. Mora held up 
his fish, and a young seal dove for it, taking it right out 
of his hands. Other seals followed, eagerly seizing the 
choice morsels held up by the laughing Sea Children. 
A huge old fellow helped himself to Prince Elworth’s 
porgie, and nearly pushed Poulair out of his seat in 
doing so. 

“ This is good fun,” said Prince Elworth, laughing. 

Chaldea and his musicians now began to play a sweet, 
lively melody which the Sea Children joined merrily 
in singing. The seals seemed to know it, for instantly 
every one of them tried to stop to listen, but was forced 
on by those behind, who increased their speed to get 
nearer to where the music came from. The Sea Chil- 
dren were almost entirely surrounded by a whirling 
black mass of struggling, tumbling seals. 

58 



‘“THIS IS GOOD FUN,’ SAID PRINCE ELWORTH, LAUGHING. 


The Sea Children 


“They love music, my prince,” said Poulair, “even 
as the dolphin does. Great Meedas ! they will upset 
us if we don’t stop. The musicians are completely out 
of sight among them.” 

“ I always thought that seals were very much afraid 
of sword-fishes, are they not .? ” asked Prince El- 
worth. 

“Yes, my prince, but they are not afraid of us. We 
have helped them many times, and they know our sword- 
fishes from the wild sword-fishes. What is the excite- 
ment back there, I wonder?” 

All the Sea Children looked in the direction indi- 
cated. The music ceased instantly, and some one 
shouted: “The bumpers! The bumper whales!” 



“Let us help the 
seals, Mora,” shouted 
Poulair. 


“ We must. It is 
our duty. Armeda, 
Eleesor, follow me. 
Khardi, Perret, and 
Chaldea descend and 
guard the chariot,” 
commanded Mora. 


“ Why do we descend, Poulair ? Can we not stay 
and see what is going to happen ? ” asked Prince 
Elworth, excitedly. 

“Oh, no, no! we cannot stay, but we can see well 
enough from below. Mora takes the sword-fish guards 
with him, for the sturgeon guards are of no use in kill- 
ing the bumpers. There they are ! Six of them, — no, 
there is another, — seven ! ” 

What Prince Elworth saw as the chariot descended 
filled him with horror and pity. Seven black monsters 
shot in and out among the terrified seals, using their 
great blunt heads as battering rams to bump the lives 


6o 


The Sea Children 

out of the gentle, helpless creatures. The bodies of their 
victims floated in the wake of each of the monsters. 

“ Such wanton, needless killing ! ” cried Prince El- 
worth. “They don’t eat half they kill.” Breathlessly 
he watched, as Mora lined up his guards, ready for a 
charge. Oh ! They are cachalots, killer whales, 
Poulair. I saw one cast upon the beach once. — But 
why is Mora letting them pass him?” 

“Watch him. Thou wilt see him charge in a 
moment.” Even as Poulair spoke Mora’s command 
“CHARGE!” rang out upon the sea-atmosphere, and 
the sword-fish guards rushed at a fearful rate of speed 
directly toward the blunt-headed cachalots, too intent 
on their killing to notice the presence of the Sea Chil- 
dren. The effect of the charge was terrible. The 
great bumpers were thrown into a panic. The long, 
cruel swords of the sword-fishes pricked their sensitive 
flesh again and again, as Mora’s guards darted hither and 
thither among them. The water all about was lashed 
into blood-streaked foam by the tails of the terrified mon- 
sters, as they sought to escape from the creatures which 
all whales dread, the sword-fish. Sometimes, in their 
mad fright, they threw their bodies high up into the 
dry atmosphere, falling back into the water with a thud 
that seemed to shake the ocean. 

“ They have left the seals 1 ” cried Prince Elworth, 
joyfully. 

“ Indeed, they have, my prince, and they will not 
return I think,” answered Poulair. 

“Our brethren certainly cannot kill them, — such 
large creatures, — can they?” asked Prince Elworth. 

“ If they keep at it long enough they can ; that is 
what I am afraid of. Normally, bumpers are cowards, as 
all whales are, but if their fright turns to fury they will 
turn and try to bump in the ribs of our brethren as they 
did the ribs of the seals.” 


The. Sea Children 

‘‘ I fear that also,” Chaldea said. “ Mora 
should not follow that old fellow any further. 
He is getting angry. See him ! See I He is 
going to turn on them ! ” 

“ Look out, Mora. LOOK OUT ! ” 
shouted several of the Sea Children. 

The great creature, maddened by the con- 
tinued thrusts of the four sword-fish that 
followed him, suddenly turned like a flash 
and charged right at them. Unfortunately 
Mora s steed had just gathered his force for a 
powerful lunge as the bumper whale turned. 
Poulair’s hand tightened on Prince Elworth’s 
sleeve as he saw Mora and Argo shooting 
straight toward that huge, wide-open mouth. 
It seemed that there was no chance of escape, 
but Argo was too quick for the bumper. He 
suddenly turned upward just in time; not in 
time to escape entirely, though, for with a 
thud he collided with the whale with such 
force that his sword was driven its entire length 
into the creature’s head, and Mora was thrown 
violently over its back, not, however, before 
he had thrust his lance deep into the monster’s 
nose, where it remained sticking out, like a 
bristle. 

“ Oh ! Mora is falling ! ” cried Prince 
Elworth. 

It certainly looked as if a fall from such a 
dizzy height would kill instantly. 

“ Do not fear. He will not hurt himself, 
my prince,” said Poulair, reassuringly. “ See 
how gently he falls, with his hands outstretched. 
Now watch him. Indeed, our atmosphere is 
much more kind than the Earth People’s 
atmosphere.” 



“HE COLLIDED WITH THE WHALE WITH SUCH FORCE THAT MORA WAS 

THROWN OVER ITS BACK. 





‘‘It must be so,” answered Prince 
Elworth ; “ for on the earth one 
could not fall one-fiftieth as far 
without death.” He now saw 
Chaldea, who had darted swiftly 
toward the falling warrior, sud- 
denly dip, and, coming directly 
underneath Mora, catch him upon 
his sturgeon’s back. 

“ Sound the recall, Chaldea ! 
Quick ! ” Mora commanded, as 
soon as he was safe. 

Chaldea blew three short blasts 
on his mogle shell, and the Sea 
Children withdrew at once from 
the combat, satisfied to have driven 
the cachalots away from the seals. 

Poulair directed his swift king- 
sturgeons to where Mora and Chal- 
dea were, and Mora was taken into 
the chariot. As he stepped on 
board. Prince Elworth and Poulair 







embraced him lovingly, and con- 
gratulated him on his narrow escape 
from a horrible death. 

All were now anxiously watching 
Argo, who had not as yet been able 
to withdraw his sword from the 
head of the bumper. Madly the two 
plunged and pulled and tossed and 
dove, the bumper whale in his pain 
keeping up a fearful splashing with 
his tail. The whale was so very 
much larger and more powerful than 
Argo that the combat was a most 
unequal one, and there appeared to 
be little hope of escape for the 
sword-fish. Indeed, whenever Argo 
backed to withdraw his sword, the 
bumper, feeling the pain increase 
by the action, would plunge forward 
with such tremendous force that 
Argo was doubled up like a bow. 



The Sea Children 


‘‘ Shall we attack him, Mora ? ” cried Armeda. 
“ He is killing thy steed.” 

“ No ! no ! Thou wouldst but madden him the 
more, and he might break Argo’s sword,” responded 
Mora. “We had better stay where 
we are. Thou canst not tell what 
he will do when he breaks loose, 
and we had better be far enough 
away to dodge.” 

Poulair was rising nearer to the 
scene of action, but stopped on re- 
ceiving this very wise suggestion, 
for the bumper leaped and plunged 
and tore about, dragging and push- 
ing and shaking the almost exhausted 
sword-fish at the end of its blunt 
nose so wildly that Poulair dared not 
risk coming too close to the huge 
monster. Then the whale began to 
weaken visibly, much to the satis- 
faction of the Sea Children. Sud- 
denly he gathered all his remaining 
energy into one mighty effort, and, 
with tremendous force, plunged di- 
rectly downward, until it seemed 
as though Argo would be driven 
against the ground and his life crushed 
out. 

“ Now, Armeda, Eleesor, ready ! — 
charge!" commanded Mora. 

And charge they did, and so effec- 
tively that in less than ten heart-beats 
the huge black mass fairly bristled 
with the lances of the Sea Children 
and the swords of their steeds. 

The bumper was dead. 

66 



The Sea Children 

“ Don’t withdraw,” ordered Mora. ‘‘Hold him down 
until we release Argo.” 

That was not the easiest thing to do, for the bumper 
in turning about twisted some of the sword-fishes right 
on their sides, tumbling their riders against each other 
in the wildest confusion. However, they held on by 
their lances, and with their combined weight, and the 
help of the sturgeon-guards, who now came up, they 
managed to hold him to the ground. 

Mora leaped to Argo’s side, stroking him gently and 
speaking to him affectionately, for he still trembled with 
excitement. “ Thy sword must have pierced a bone, 
my Argo,” he said, “ but thou shalt be free in a mo- 
ment. There, now, do not tremble any more. Thou 
shalt soon be free. Wilt help us, Prince Elworth ? ” 
he asked, offering him a sword. 

“ Indeed, I will, gladly,” and Prince Elworth jumped 
to his side. 

With Poulair and one or two others he cut and 
sawed away for a long time, when suddenly something 
snapped, and Argo, who had just then been straining 
his utmost to release himself, shot back like a catapult, 
knocking Mora, Poulair, and Leora off their feet. 
Laughing, they sprang up, and Mora, delighted, ran 
and threw his arms around his Argo’s neck, petting 
and talking to him as though he was more than a 
mere sword-fish. 

“ See,” said Prince Elworth, pointing to a yellowish, 
oily stream floating upward from the place where Mora’s 
lance had been withdrawn, “ this is what the Earth 
People kill these cachelots for. They get several barrels 
of this oil from a single head.” 

“ Well, if the Earth People would confine themselves 
to killing only the bumper whales we would be happy,” 
answered Poulair, as the last lance was withdrawn, 
allowing the dead cachelot to float upward toward the 

67 


The Sea Children 

withered earth atmosphere. The other bumpers had 
vanished long ago, and, with the exception of a few 
stragglers here and there, the seals had disappeared 
beneath the horizon. 

“Shall we continue the journey?” asked Poulair. 
“ There is a large field of wild deals just beyond that 
hill. I remember seeing it when coming here.” 

“ Then let us go there, for really, Poulair, I am quite 
hungry,” answered Mora. 



CHAPTER VII 


In which Prince Elworth hears much 
in Favour of the Shark 

H ungry ! ” The word struck Prince Elworth 
very forcibly, for he was beginning to feel 
almost famished. Indeed, he had begun to 
fear that Sea Children, perhaps, did not eat at all, and 
he was wondering how long it would be before he 
would become accustomed to going without food. 

“ What are deal fields, Poulair ? ” Prince Elworth 
asked, when they were again on their way. 

68 


The Sea Children 

Poulair arose, and lifting up the cover of 
the seat, brought out a branch of a pecu- 
liarly beautiful sea-plant, profusely covered 
with greenish, nut-shaped balls, and two 
gourd-shaped things about half the size of 
his head. 

“ What are those queer-shaped gourds, 

Poulair .? ” 

“ They are gottle bulbs, my prince. We 
get them from the gottle trees in the deep 
sea forest. Here are some deals from our 
own gardens. They are very much more 
eatable than the wild ones.” As he said 
this he broke the cusks from three of the 
green, nut-shaped things, letting fall three 
red, cherry-like objects into Prince Elworth’s 
hand. “ Eat them, my prince.” 

Prince Elworth did as he was told. 

“ Oh, what lovely berries ! Delightful ! 

I never before tasted such luscious fruit. Indeed, when 
we get to that deal field I shall be very happy, for I 
am hungry.” 

‘‘ Here are plenty for thee, my prince,” said Poulair, 
taking a handful of branches from the same place. 
“ Thou wilt like them very much better than the wild 
ones, but first drink this. Put the gottle bulb to thy 
lips, then loose the cord. There, that is right. Squeeze 
the bulb, my prince.” 

“ Milk ! ” exclaimed Prince Elworth in astonishment. 
He could hardly believe it possible that Sea Children 
could have milk, but it surely was milk, for an opaque 
streak of white reached backward from the neck of 
the gottle bulb, from w'hich it had escaped, mingling 
with the sea atmosphere. 

“ Thou shouldst have drawn the cord tightly again, 
my prince, and thou wouldst not have lost the rest of 
69 



it. But never mind; there is enough to last until we 
reach Bassynia. Yes, it is milk. That is also the Sea 
Children’s name for it.” 

“Do the Sea Children have — cows?” Prince El- 
worth asked, timidly. 

“ Cows ? Is that the Earth People’s name for them ? 
I had forgotten,” answered Poulair. 

Leora’s sweet laugh was heard again. “ I think, my 
Poulair, thou hast also forgotten what the earth cows 
look like.” 

“ Oh, no, Leora ; hast forgotten the golden calves at 
the gate of one of Atlantea’s palaces?” And then, as 
though realising the humour of the comparison, he said, 
laughing heartily, “Truly, Leora, earth cows would look 
very funny in a drove of ours, wouldn’t they?” 

“ You make me very anxious to see thy cows. What 
do they look like?” Prince Elworth asked. 

Instead of answering, Poulair held up his forefinger, 
saying: “Look, my prince, this is Zedrim ; thou must 
know Zedrim.” A tiny animal was attached by its tail 
to Poulair’s forefinger, and as he laughingly held it 
toward Prince Elworth for his inspection, the latter 
was persuaded to believe that its little eyes were “tak- 
ing his measure ” to make up its mind whether it liked 
him or not, much as a dog would in the Earth World. 

“ Why, what is it, Poulair ? ” Prince Elworth asked, 
much interested. “ Its head looks like a horse’s head.” 

“ It is a sea-horse, my prince, a pet of mine. He 
was curled around this deal branch. Wilt take him ? 

70 


The Sea Children 


There, Zedrim, go to Prince Elworth ; he won’t hurt 
thee,” — and so saying he gently forced Zedrim’s tail to 
uncurl and recurl itself around Prince Elworth’s finger. 

He seemed a very affectionate 
and intelligent little creature, and 
took particular pleasure in having^ 
his nose tickled by a tiny wisp of 
weed. 

Pretty soon he evinced a desire 
to return to his master, who put 
him back under the seat, saying, 

“See, Prince Elworth, there is the 
deal field,” and he pointed to a 
deep-lying valley just beyond the 
hill. Prince Elworth looked and 
saw a great field of red bushes, 
waving gently in the under-ocean 
breeze. Among the branches thou- 
sands of fishes flitted in and out, 
like birds in the Earth World, their 
sides shining silver and gold in the 
sunlight. The ground beneath and 
around the bushes was covered with 
a most beautiful array of flowers, 
more gorgeous in colouring than any 
earth flowers he had ever seen. 

“ How beautiful ! How red it 
is ! It looks like a waving carpet of 
red velvet, wrought in many beau- 
tiful designs ! ” exclaimed Prince 
Elworth, delightedly. 

The deal field was soon reached, 
and the procession halted. The Sea Children all dis- 
mounted, allowing their steeds to go where they would 
in search of food. 

“ Why, where are all the sturgeons .? ” asked Prince 
71 



The Sea Children 

Elworth, looking up from a bunch of wild deals, the 
taste of which he was comparing with those Poulair 
had given him. 

“ There is one,” answered Chaldea, pointing under 
some near-by bushes ; “ and the others are not far 
away. They are also hungry.” 

“ The foods they like hide in the sand and mud,” 
explained Poulair. “ Thou hast seen, perhaps, that the 
sturgeons have no teeth, so they must eat soft food like 
shell-fish, which they take from their shells by power- 
ful suction. Hast noticed that their eyes are placed so 
they can look down, and those four feelers in front of 
their funny mouths help them to locate the shell-fish 
they wish to eat. A sturgeon cannot see where its 





The Sea Children 


food is, and if it were not for those feelers they would 
have to guess a great deal and perhaps go hungry.” 

A school of funny, long-armed, translucent things now 
darted out of the bushes, chased by a sword-fish. 

“ Squids ! Why, what a lot of them there are here ! 
I have never seen such large ones before ! ” said Prince 
Elworth, surprised. 

Large ones ! Large ! ” exclaimed several of his 
companions. “ Why, these are pigmies ! Thou shalt 
see enormous ones before thou hast reached Atlantea, 
my prince.” 

“As large as myself.?” asked Prince Elworth. 

“ As thee ! Larger than Argo ! ” responded Mora, 
with a shudder. 

“ No. Really ! ” said Prince Elworth, astonished. 
“ I have heard the Earth People tell about such mon- 
sters, and call them devil-fish and squids, but they gave 
them such great proportions that I have always taken 
their stories for fables. Why, they even say they can 
pull a big ship down. Are they thy enemies.?” 



“They are, my prince,” replied Poulair. “Squids 
are the scourge of the seas, the one creature which we 
fear while we are without the protection of Alledra’s 
jewel. But let us not talk about them. They are be- 
yond Patua. Eat, steeds, eat all thou canst of them. 
That is all they are good for. See them hide them- 
selves in their ink.” The frantic squids were indeed 
squirting great clouds of black, inky fluid behind them 
to hide them from their pursuers. 

“ Why is it, Mora, that thou hast no sentinels posted 
to watch for the sharks ? ” Prince Elworth asked, sud- 
denly recalling them. 

“Not at all necessary,” Mora replied, as he unloosed 
a gottle bulb from the saddle that one of the pack steeds 
had been carrying. “Thou seest,” he explained, after 
drinking the milk, “we all keep our lances, and the 
sword-fishes do not hunt farther than a hundred lengths 
or so away, and as the three sharks are back there eat- 
ing the dead bumper whale, we do not have to be so 
careful.” 

“ How dost thou know they are back there ? ” Prince 
Elworth asked. 

“ Because it is their nature, my prince, and they can- 
not help it.” 

“ But when they satisfy their hunger will they not 
return ? ” 


74 


The Sea Children 


“Yes, my prince; but that will not be to-day, nor, 
perhaps, will it be to-morrow, unless the purpose for 
which they came gets the better of their greed.” 

“But might not some more appear, Mora.?” asked 
Prince Elworth. “ What then ? ” 

“ Oh, no. There are no more of that kind in this 
climate. It is too cold for them ; and, besides, if there 
were more they would be back there getting their share 
of that bumper,” was Mora’s answer. 

“ Let me ask thee, Mora, why, when thou hadst the 
power, thou didst not destroy all the sharks .? and why 
would it not be a good idea, if I am able to restore the 
power of Alledra’s jewel, to destroy them all.?” 

“ No, no, no, my prince, that 
would never do. We never kill 
anything save the squid, excepting 
when necessary for our protec- 
tion. The sharks are of great ser- 
vice to us. Indeed, of very, very 
great service,” explained Poulair. 

“ They keep the sea atmosphere 
pure and wholesome for us to 
breathe. Now supposing, my prince, 
that there were no sharks, nor dog-' 
fish, nor crabs, nor lobsters, nor these 
cleaners and pickers and other carrion 
eaters, what would happen to that 
dead bumper ? Why, he would remain tl 
so long that he would pollute the whole 
atmosphere for leagues and leagues.” 

“ They are the scavengers of the sea, 
prince,” added Leora. 

“ Oh, I see, my brethren. Thou didst 
make me hate and fear the shark, and now 
thou art in a fair way to make me like 
him,” Prince Elworth said, with a smile. 

75 



The Sea Children 



young. 


The 


‘‘ His appetite and sense 
of smell are indeed quali- 
ties to be grateful for,” 
said Chaldea. “And thou 
mayest well spare a little 
affection for him, not only 
for his services to us Sea 
Children, but because he 
has many really admirable 
qualities. The shark is the 
only large fish in the upper 
seas that cares for and pro- 
seals and whales care for 
their young, also ; but they are not fishes, thou 
knowest, — not even so much so as we are, for 
they have to breathe the dry air, poor things ! ” 

“ But are not the sharks thine enemies } ” asked 
Prince Elworth, mystified by all this praise of the 
dread creatures. 

“ True, but their enmity to us is caused by their 
jealousy, my prince,” explained Mora. “ The Sea 
Children are rulers here, as the Earth People are on 
the withered earth. We control every fish in the seas 
by their fear of our power, the power of Alledra’s jewel. 
The sharks are intelligent enough to know that this 
power is waning, and they are watching their oppor- 
tunity to destroy us, so that they can rule the seas.” 

“ Mora has a theory also that the sharks have stopped 
killing the squids, their natural enemies, because they, 
too, are against us,” remarked Poulair, “ and I am dis- 
posed to agree with him.” 

“ Oh, I forgot to explain, my prince,” Mora con- 
tinued, “ that the squids will never be controlled, so we 
always kill them whenever we can. They are as use- 
less as they are hideous.” 

“ Thy world is growing very interesting to me, my 
76 



<‘HE SAW TWO HUGE GREEN AND RED CLAWS REACHING UP AT 
HIM OUT OF A CLOUD OF WHIRLING SAND” 



brethren.” As Prince Elworth 
said this, he stepped with all con- 
fidence upon what he supposed was 
a red rock, in order to reach a 
particularly tempting deal branch. 
A peculiar movement under his 
feet caused him to look down, 
where, to his horror and surprise, 
he saw two huge green and red 
claws reaching up at him out of 
a cloud of whirling sand. He 
uttered a startled cry just as the 
supposed rock lurched violently, 
throwing him to the ground. A 
great claw quickly seized him by 
the side, causing excruciating pain, 
while another darted toward his 
face. Instinctively Prince Elworth 
threw up his arm to ward it off ; 
but, at that instant, a lance darted 
between the open jaws of the sea 
creature that closed upon it, splin- 
tering the hard wood as though it 
were pith. The gigantic body 
of the crustacean almost covered 
Prince Elworth, but he could see 
his brethren raining blows upon 


the monster, and could see them 
dodge his vicious claws as they 
shot forward to catch them. Sud- 
denly he felt a great weigh 
upon his chest, and all was 


press 
dark. 

As in a dream he heard Mora 
.shout, “Now, Armeda, quickly! 
Then he knew no more. 

When he recovered he saw his 
brethren all around him, anxiously 
looking into his face for signs of 
returning consciousness. Their joy 
was very great when he opened his 
eyes, sat up, and looked around. 

“What was it, Mora?” he asked. 

“ A monster crab, a claw shell, 
my prince. See him,” Mora re- 
plied. 

Prince Elworth turned and saw 
an enormous crab, lying on his 
back, dead. 

“ They half bury themselves in 
the sand and wait for their victims 
to come to them, my prince,” con- 
tinued Mora. “ Thou must be very 
careful not to step upon another. 





The Sea Children 

What a big fellow he is ! Never before have we seen 
such a large one except in the deep seas.” 

“ Thou hast many things to learn about the creatures 
ot this world, my prince,” Poulair said ; “ and while 
thou art in the wild country thou must be always on 
the watch for hidden enemies. See these two long 
waving stems sticking up out of the sand ^ Well, 
wherever thou seest these, do not step. Now watch 
and see what will happen.” Poulair prodded his lance 
gently into the sand, and a black, slippery brown thing, 
with a long prickly spine and ridged tail, raised itself 
sluggishly out of the sand and fluttered off to another 
place, where it again hid itself. 

Poulair then prodded the sand all around him with 
his lance, and to Prince Elworth’s astonishment it was 
fairly alive with flat fishes and shell fishes, soles, turbot, 
flounders, halibut, skates, rays, frog fishes and crabs in 
numberless quantities, some of which darted or scampered 
away, while others of a more sluggish nature burrowed 
again where they were. 

“Thou dost see, my prince, that there are many 
more that could not be seen, but none of them would 
harm thee. We must guard thee more carefully until 
thou hast learned to tell those that, thou shouldst avoid,” 
Poulair said, placing his hand affectionately on Prince 
Elworth’s arm. 

“Thou shalt find me an earnest pupil, my Poulair, I 
assure thee,” Prince Elworth replied, laughing. “I do 
not care for any more experiences like the one I have 
just had, if I can help it.” 

The order was now given to re-assemble, and in a 
short time the procession was again under way, speed- 
ing toward Bassynia. 


8o 


The Sea Children 


CHAPTER VIII 


Story of Teora^ s Adventure with the 



I T was now the noon hour, and a delightful feeling 
of repose rested over all the landscape as Prince 
Elworth and Poulair again seated themselves in the 
chariot. Even their steeds felt the charm of the hour, 
and moved slowly forward, following Mora’s sword-fish 
without direction from Poulair. The sea atmosphere 
was warm and pleasant, and high above shone a bright 
radiance that Prince Elworth knew must be the sun ; 
but the waters so tempered its brightness that the eyes 
coul^d gaze steadily at it without harm. Their shadows 
now fell almost vertically downward, showing indis- 
tinctly on the ground far below, and making a ghostly 
procession of dark, distorted figures. The waters all 
around were quiet. The thousands of fishes were still, 
or moved their tails sluggishly. It was the ocean’s mid-, 
day hour of rest. 

Prince Elworth felt the mystic charm of the moment. 
His eyelids began to feel heavy and his head to nod. 
He wondered why Poulair was so quiet, and, turning 
slightly, saw the beautiful little head of his companion 
lying back upon the cushion. Poulair was sound 


asleep. 


Chaldea glided quietly up and rode by Prince El- 
worth’s side. 


8i 


The Sea Children 

‘‘ Poulair has-been awake more than he ought,” he 
said, by way of explanation. He was so very anxious 
to be the first to greet thee.” 

“ Is he not beautiful, Chaldea ! ” Prince Elworth ex- 
claimed, looking down on the lovely face of the Sea 
Child. Then, after a moment, he added, “ And he 
was the first, Chaldea.” 

“Yes, and thou art the fourth in thy family that he 
has been first to greet ; but, to be even with me, he has 
to greet two more,” answered Chaldea, laughing softly. 

“ Poulair told me that thou didst discover Alledra. 
Thou must tell me all about it thyself.” 

“ Indeed, my prince, if it will give thee pleasure I 
shall be pleased to tell the tale; but we are going to 
stop right there, by that cliff, and rest, for this is the 
ocean’s rest hour, and we came here to find a pleasant 
stopping-place. Oh, look up there, my prince! there 
is an Earth People’s chariot with a school of porpoises 
playing around its bow. See them leap and caper.” 

Then Chaldea’s laughing face grew more serious, and 
he said, “ Thou wild things, if we could but tame thee 
our troubles would be over with.” 




The Sea Children 

‘‘ Are they enemies of Sea Children ? I always un- 
derstood that they were gentle, playful creatures,” Prince 
Elworth remarked. 

“ They are, my prince, but oh, so untamable, so 
wild ! Like the dolphins, they spend their lives caper- 
ing and prancing about, stopping their play for nothing 
but just to eat, and they try to make play out of that. 
We sometimes coax the dolphins with music, which 
they love, but they will not come near us, try as we 
will.” 

“But how would they end thy troubles, Chaldea.?” 

“ Because, next to the shark, they are the greatest 
enemy of the squid, and if we could only tame a large 
school of them we could pass the squids without 
trouble. This recent friendship of the shark and squid 
is abnormal; it ’s very strange.” 

Mora was now drawing up close to the face of a huge 
perpendicular rock that rose fully fifty lengths above 
them, and, looking over the side of the chariot as they 
descended. Prince Elworth saw that it sank fully another 
fifty lengths below. 

“Oh, Chaldea, see!” he exclaimed softly, so as not 



The Sea Children 

to awaken Poulair ; ‘‘ there are ships, many of them ! 
Why have they all sunk here ? ” 

“ This is a very dangerous place for the Earth Peo- 
ple’s chariots, my prince. That rock rises almost into 
the dry atmosphere, and for centuries the Earth People’s 
chariots have been running against it.” 

“ What a pity ! What a pity ! Couldst thou do 
nothing to prevent it.?” asked Prince Elworth. 

‘‘ Oh, we have driven away many of them, and some 
have sunken on our account. I will tell thee about it 
when we have rested.” 

A wide ledge of moss-covered rocks projected from 
the face of the cliff upon which the procession settled, 
and the Sea Children dismounted. Mora posted a guard 
of soldiers, who patrolled in a semicircle, while the rest 

Prince Elworth threw himself upon the soft moss by 
the side of his brethren, and very soon was fast asleep 
and dreaming about the seals. 

When he awoke the shadows indicated that fully half 
the afternoon had passed. Looking around him he 
found that most of his companions were still asleep, 
some of them with their heads pillowed on the sides of 
their steeds. Chaldea opened his beautiful eyes, smiled, 
and closed them again. A little distance away Prince 
Elworth saw Leora reclining against a moss-covered 
rock. Leora smiled sweetly, and Prince Elworth, rising 
softly, made his way to his side. 

“Wilt thou tell me, my Leora, of thy experience 
with the Earth People now ? ” he asked, sitting down 
close by the side of Leora. 

“ Willingly, my prince; but it was nothing compared 
with Bethesda’s. While we are in Bassynia thou must 
ask him to tell thee about it, and how Corlissa saved 
him.” 

“ I will,” answered Prince Elworth, putting his arm 

84 


The Sea Children 

around his companion. But now I would hear thy 
story.” 

‘‘Well, it happened here, on that very rock,” Leora 
began, pointing upward. “ I had been a Sea Child but 
since the night before, coming from a near-by country. 
Poulair had given me this jewel and pearl head-band 
and mantle, of which I 
was very proud. We 
were resting here, just 
as we are now, and all 
were asleep. I awoke 
and saw an earth chariot 
approaching. Khardi 
was the only sentinel 
on guard, for then we 
had the protection of 
Alledra’s jewel, and had 
nothing to fear. Even 
he was sitting against a 
rock more than half 
asleep. I thought it 
would be great fun to 
run up there, on the 
highest point of the 
rock, and tell the Earth 
People what had hap- 
pened to me, and ask 
them to tell my parents. 

Well, I hurried up. Khardi saw me and tried to stop 
me, but it was too late, for I had already popped my 
head up into the dry atmosphere. Oh, it was terrible ! 
It seemed so dry and hot ! But there was the ship 
coming right along, so close that I could read her name, 
‘ Isabel,’ even though my eyes were half blinded with 
the heat.” 

“ Did the Earth People see thee .? ” asked Prince 
Elworth. 



85 



The Sea Children 



“ Oh, yes, and they screamed fearfully, as though very 
much afraid. I tried to speak, but I only gasped. I 
could not utter the slightest sound. I put my head 
down into our atmosphere, and then I tried it again 
after getting a breath or two. It was useless. I could 
not speak a word, so I waved my arms to them. They 
yelled louder than ever, and threw something at me. 
I ran down as fast as I could, and found my brethren 
all awake and very much excited. I had 
\ barely reached them when I saw the ship 

strike on the rocks, making 


two awful holes in her bottom. The sight frightened 
me very much, and I ran to Mora crying that the ship 
would surely sink and the Earth People drown. A 
great storm had been gathering for some time, and just 
then it broke upon the Earth People with its thunder 
and lightning. The upper current became so strong 
that we had to descend for our safety, but Mora and a 
few others stayed up there with the sturgeons to help 
the Earth People. All this time the ship kept banging 
and banging on those rocks until she was full of holes ; 
then, all in a moment, she turned right around and shot 
down like a stone. There she is, my prince, down 
there where all that white marble is with which she 
was laden.” 

‘‘ What became of the Earth People, Leora ? ” asked 
Prince Elworth, anxiously. 

86 




The Sea Children 

“ Oh, they had put a big square raft overboard, and 
got upon that. One of them, a boy, fell into the 
water, but Mora went up there and pushed him to the 
raft. We kept under them all day, following as the 
wind blew the raft, and after the storm subsided another 
ship came along and took them to thy country, which 
we saw in the distance.” 

“Didst say thou hadst been a Sea Child for fifty 
years, Leora.?” asked Prince El worth eagerly, as though 
he had a purpose in asking the question. 

“Yes, my prince, almost fifty.” 

A dozen other Sea Children had joined them now, 
all sitting close together around Prince Elworth and 
Leora. 

“Thy story reminds me of a tale an old fisherman on 
our beach has told many, many times,” said Prince El- 
worth. “ It makes him very cross to doubt his story. 
He says that when he was a boy he and his shipmates 
saw a mermaid with green hair put its head out of the 
water and wave its arms about. They knew at once 
that they were doomed, for the sight of a mermaid 
meant storm, shipwreck, and death. True enough, a 
great storm arose, and their ship was dashed on the 
rocks. For a few minutes they could see many more 
green-haired mermaids right near the surface, swim- 
ming around, and when he fell off the raft one of them 
caught him by the feet and tried to pull him down, but 
his companions seized him just in time, and pulled him 
back on the raft.” 

The Sea Children laughed heartily. 

“Are they not silly.? Green hair! Oh, to think 
we have green hair! ” and Leora gave his long waving 
curls an indignant toss, laughing merrily. 

“ Oh, all old fishermen believe in mermaids and nixes 
and water elves with green hair,” explained Prince El- 
worth. “There are legends centuries old telling about 

88 


them. I remember a verse which my 
Mollin quotes, when he tells nixe 
stories. 

‘ Know thou the nixes, gay and fair? 

I'heir eyes are black, and green their hair; 

They lurk in sedgy shores,’ ” 

quoted Prince Elworth. ‘‘ I never did 
believe the story of the old fisherman 
whom thou saved, my Mora ; but it 
was true, after all, was it not, my 
brethren ? ” 

‘‘ All but the green hair and trying 
to pull him down part of it,” replied 
Mora, still laughing. 

“Well, the basis of it was fact, at 
any rate ; and all those other legends 
must have been more or less true,” reasoned Prince 
Elworth. 

“ Oh, thou must tell us all of them, my prince. 
They must be very funny, and besides, it is interesting' 
to know what the Earth People say about us. Knowest 
thou many?” asked Poulair. 

“ Dozens and dozens, my brethren. I have always 
asked for sea stories, never caring much for those of the 
Earth World, and I know them all by heart. But wilt 
thou not let us see the ships while it is yet daylight? 
I will tell thee the stories this evening.” 

“ Indeed, thou shalt see them,” answered Poulair. 


89 


The Sea Children 


CHAPTER IX 

The IVrecked Earth 
Chariots — The Gigantic Sea-Moon 
— Treasure worth a Kingdom — 

A Marvellous Sight 

OULAIR now gave the command for the Sea \ 
Children to descend to where the earth chariots 
lay on the bottom of the ocean ; and, in a short ¥ 

time, all were ready for the descent, so willingly were & 

his commands obeyed. 3 

As Prince Elworth was about to step into his J 
chariot, he paused, and, turning to Poulair, asked : F 

“ Why can I not ride on one of the sturgeons or \ 

sword-fish?” I 

“ Thou canst try, when we get down there, but not ,] 

here, for thou mightst fall. By the way, thou shalt f 

I ' 

i 






The Sea Children 

first learn how to fall, my prince, so as not to hurt 
thyself if thrown off thy steed,” Poulair said, gently 
helping Prince Elworth into the chariot and taking a 
seat by his side. 

The signal to start was now given ; and slowly and 
gracefully, in great circles, the chariot descended toward 
the sunken ships. 

“ Now I shall ask Mora to show thee how to fall,” 
said Poulair. “ Mora ! ” he called. 

Mora came 
quickly, and 
when told what 
was desired of 
him, he leaped 
to his feet, stand- 
ing in the saddle, 
smiled, and vaulted fear- 
lessly from the back of Argo. 

For a moment Prince Elworth 
feared that he would be killed, for his descent 
was rapid ; but he had fallen only a few lengths 
when, to Prince Elworth’s surprise, the speed 
began to slacken, while Argo, anxious for his 
master’s safety, hovered beneath him, trying to take him 
on his back ; but Mora waved him away. 

See, my prince, thou shouldst extend thy hands as 
Mora dost,” explained Poulair. “And when thou art 
near the ground — now watch him ! ” 

Mora, who was now within a length of the ground, 
had just then thrown himself forward, face downward, 
so that he struck the ground softly on hands and knees. 

“ Is not our atmosphere kind?” laughed Mora, pick- 
ing himself up, for by this time the chariot had also 
reached the ground. 

“ Yes, indeed, it is,” answered Prince Elworth. “ I 
would like to try that.” 




The Sea Children 

Well, try. Thou hast many things to learn, and 
thou mayst as well commence at once,*’ Poulair said, 
directing the sturgeons upward again. When about a 
dozen lengths above the ground he stopped, and Prince 
Elworth stood up in the chariot. The ground was as 
far beneath him as though he stood at the top of one 
of the Earth People’s church spires. Nevertheless he 
jumped off bravely, and, doing as Mora had done, landed 
quite softly on the sandy ground. 

‘‘ Bravo ! bravo ! my prince ; thou certainly art a 
Sea Child,” called Mora. 

“ Really, I enjoyed it,” answered Prince Elworth. 

‘‘We have great fun doing that at Ilwa. There thou 
shalt enjoy it very much, my prince,” said Poulair. 

“Yes, when thou hast jumped from day to night 
thou shalt know what fun is,” said Leora, laughingly. 
“ Ouch ! I remember my first jump ! ” 

“ Here is thy ship ! ” exclaimed Prince Elworth, 
looking up at the stern of a big wooden ship, near 
which they had landed. “There’s her name, ‘Isabel,’ 
in big letters.” 

Leora looked her all over with interest. “Yes,” he 
said, “ that is she ; and right there on the bow is where 
I saw the Earth People.” 

But other older and more picturesque wrecks soon 
caught Prince Elworth’s eyes ; and he hastened to the 
side of one, a monster galleon of the Spanish type. 

“ Careful, careful, my prince,” advised Poulair. 
“ The wood is full of borers, and very weak indeed. 
See, my prince, all these little holes are made by little 
animals which eat into the wood.” 

“ Oh, let us explore inside,” begged Prince Elworth. 

“WoLildst like to.? Very well,” answered Mora. 
“ Call all the steeds, Perret, and line them up.” 

Prince Elworth wondered why the Sea Children 
formed their steeds in a circle around the ship, but 

92 



<‘<HERE IS THY SHIP!’ EXCLAIMED PRINCE ELWORTH. 
‘THERE’S HER NAME, “ISABEL””* 



when Chaldea’s musicians suddenly 
began making as hideous a noise 
as they could he understood, for, 
all at once, the dark cracks be- 
tween the decayed planks of the 
vessel, and every opening in its 
black hull, lighted up with a green- 
ish yellow phosphorescent light, 
and from the body of the galleon 
a mass of life poured out, some 
swift, some very slow, their quiet 
disturbed by the frightful noise. 
Hundreds of small squid, a few of 
them with arms as long as those 
of Prince Elworth, shot out, in 
their jerky fashion, some body first, 
arms following, looking as though 
they swam backward, and others 
just the reverse. Thousands of sea- 
moons and other jelly-fish raised 
themselves sluggishly. Claw shells 
sprang between the broken planks. 





green lampreys, spotted morays, com 
mon eels, and thousands of other 
denizens of the mud wriggled their 
slippery, slimy bodies upward, down- 
ward, and in every direction. 

Prince Elworth was almost too 
astonished to speak. The sight was 
so unexpected, so wonderful, and 
the effect so picturesque and excit 
ing. The dead boat appeared to 
have been full of a weird, ghostly 
life, as startling as it was wonder- 
ful in its sudden appearance. 

The impatient steeds were now 
loosened; and into this heteroge- 
neous mass of life they dashed, right 
and left, up and down, and around 
like arrows endowed with the power 
of governing their own motions, 
leaving a path behind them devoid 
of life. Every squid that passed 
within reach of the Sea Children 





The Sea Children 


was lanced, but all other 
creatures who escaped the 
Sea Children’s ;steeds es- 
caped their lances also. 

“ They are having a royal 
feast,” Mora said, laughing. 

Just then, a little fish, 
not at all extraordinary in 
appearance, settled near 
Prince Elworth. Then an 
ugly looking all-mouth 
raised itself sluggishly out 
of the mud and wobbled 
awkwardly toward it with 
its cave-like mouth wide 
open, exhibiting rows and 
rows of sharp, inward-point- 
ing teeth. 

“ Watch that little puf- 
fer ! my prince,” Poulair 
exclaimed. 

“Why doesn’t the silly 
little thing get out of the 
way ? Serves him right if 
he is — ” But then an 
extraordinary thing hap- 
pened. The puffer sud- 
denly swelled himself up until he was as large and 
round as a gottle bulb, which evidently surprised the 
all-mouth as much as it did Prince Elworth, for its 
mouth closed with a snap and it turned away in disgust. 

“ Oh, how funny ! ” Prince Elworth exclaimed, laugh- 
ing. “ I thought his time had surely come. What 
sayest thou it was, — a puffer?” 

“Yes; there are several kinds of them. They 
seldom become food for other fishes.” 

96 



The Sea Children 



“ Small wonder,” Prince 
Elworth answered, laughing. 

“Well, I think we can 
go aboard in a few minutes 
now,” Poulair observed ; then 
added, “ How wouldst thou 
have liked to stir up that, 
my prince ? ” 

“ I am thankful that I 
did not,” Prince Elworth 
answered, with a shudder. 

The Sea Children were 
just on the point of going 
aboard when suddenly Mora 
exclaimed, “ Well, what is 
the matter now ? ” 

Several of the sturgeons 
and sword-fish had shot up- 
ward, as though thrown by 
a catapult, and, turning, 
gazed in an undetermined 
way at something appear- 
ing from the body of the 
ship. Some of them darted 
forward half a length and 
then wheeled again, as 
though waiting encourage- 
ment from their masters. 

Mora ran up on a rock to see what caused this ex- 
traordinary action. 

“Call them off! Call them off! Argo, come here !” 
he shouted, the moment he reached the top of the rock 
and looked down. When each had called his steed 
Mora continued; “It is a gigantic sea-moon. Stand 
back and let us watch it. Make more noise, Chaldea.” 

A brighter radiance now glowed near the bow. 


The Sea Children 



followed by the great slowly moving body of a colossal 
sea-moon. It opened and closed, opened and closed, its 
translucent flesh forming waves which passed over its 
whole contour and spent themselves in the frills which 
trimmed the edges of the inverted kettle-shaped mass. 
As it approached the daylight its brightness diminished, 
but in its place a new charm ap- 
peared. Every color of the rain- 
bow came and went with the 
contraction of its muscles, — pur- 
ples, greens, orange, yellow, and 
red shades, — then, as the creature 
turned a bit, the vivid shades 
would suddenly disappear, giving place to azures, and 
soft blues, and pinks. 

‘‘ Wonderful ! Entrancing ! Oh, it is like an enor- 
mous soap-bubble ! ” Prince Elworth exclaimed in 
rapture. 

“ Stand back farther, my prince,” advised Poulair. 

“ Why .? ” 

“ Because those tentacles that hang from underneath 
can shoot down many times the creature’s length and 
they can sting. That is what the steeds fear. See 
them get away without advice, my prince. They 
would not care to attack it from underneath. ” 

The Sea Children all stepped slowly backward as the 
monster mass of limpid, watery flesh cleared the ship’s 
bow. 

“ If we drive it upward we will have a rare treat 
to-night,” Mora remarked. 

Now, it will be safe for us to go aboard. Come, 
my prince, and be very careful,” said Poulair. 

Several climbed the galleon’s side, and stepped cau- 
tiously upon the deck, which appeared strong. Leora, 
anxious to lead the way below, stepped incautiously, 
with his full weight, upon the stairs leading down to 

98 


The Sea Children 

the ship’s cabin. Instantly the whole stairway gave 
way, as though built of egg-shells, dropping the laugh- 
ing boy. into a deep dark hole, where nothing was to 
be seen of him but his jewel and the radiance it cast 
over his smiling face. One by one the Sea Children 
followed, jumping lightly down, until all had entered, 
their jewels lighting up the in- 
terior quite clearly. The sea- 
dust of centuries rose in a fog 
around them, as they moved 
about in the semi- darkness, prod- 
ding their lances into various 
holes and corners. 

“What have we found here?” Mora exclaimed, tap- 
ping something which gave forth a metallic sound. The 
sand which half buried the object was cleared away, 
exposing a large iron-bound chest. 

“ Oh, it must be one of the Earth People’s coin 
chests ! ” exclaimed Prince Elworth. “ Open it, 
Mora.” 

Mora tried the lid and found that it offered but little 
resistance, for its hinges were almost dropping apart 
from rust. When the cover was thrown back, great 
quantities of dirty coins were exposed to view. 

“ Rub one of them and see how pretty it becomes, 
my prince.” 

Prince Elworth obeyed. 

“ It is gold ! ” he exclaimed. “ Why, what an 
enormous amount of it ! There is enough gold there to 
buy — a kingdom ! ” 

The Sea Children smiled at his enthusiasm. 

“ Why, that is nothing ! We know many places 
where there are ten times as many and very much 
prettier ones than these. That string on Mora’s sword- 
hilt came from one of ten chests, each one larger than 
this,” Poulair explained. 

LofC. 



99 


The Sea Children 

Mora held up his sword- 
hilt for inspection. Prince El- 
worth examined it closely, and 
in astonishment exclaimed : 
‘‘ Why, here is a coin with 
Alexander’s head on it — and 
these two have Philip’s head. 
My ! how old they are, 
Mora ! ” 

“ Oh, I have many older 
ones.” He held up a few of 
the many strings of coins with 
which he was heavily girdled. 
“ Here are some of the time 
of Gallienus; these are An- 
toninus Pius heads ; here are 
more Philips; here are some 
Flavius heads, — these are 
from Ephesus ; and here is a 
string of some so old that 
none of us can tell anything 
about them. Thou shalt see the great collection at 
Atlantea soon, my prince.” 

At first Prince Elworth was a little excited by the 
sight of so much gold, for he had learned the value of 
the metal in the Earth World ; but very soon he began 
to view the pile as so many rather pretty yellow things, 
useless for any purpose save ornament and as a some- 
what vague record of Earth World history, for in the 
Sea World there was no buying, and consequently no 
need of money. 

Night was now beginning to settle down over the 
ocean. The Sea Children came up out of the ship, not 
caring to continue the search in the darkness, and, mount- 
ing their steeds, returned to the ledge, circling around 
the gigantic sea-moon at a safe distance as they did so. 

lOO 





The Sea Children 

When the ledge was reached the Sea Children 
dismounted and began to prepare the evening meal. 
The rocks near by yielded a profusion of luscious mosses 
pleasant to the taste and of which the Sea Children were 
very fond. Quantities of these were now gathered, 
especially a white moss which tasted very much like 
sweet bread. This, together with the deals and various 
other sea fruits, and with earth stories and legends of 
the sea told by Prince Elworth, made a very appetising 
evening meal, and an especially enjoyable occasion as 
well. 

Suddenly the story telling ceased, and silence reigned 
as if by common consent, as over the edge of the cliff 
a soft radiance appeared, which increased in brightness 
as the Sea Children watched, until the expected cause 
of the illumination showed its silvery, palpitating disc 
above the cliff’s edge. 

“ Beautiful ! ” “ Wonderful ! ” ‘‘ Glorious ! ” and 

other expressions of admiration were heard from all 
sides. 

“ It is like a newly rising earth-moon, but one hun- 
dred times brighter and larger!” exclaimed Prince 
Elworth. 

They watched it rise slowly, slowly, its weird light 
illuminating their faces and casting soft, slowly creeping 
shadows behind them. They watched it until one by 
one their eyes closed, leaving only the guard and Prince 
Elworth awake. No, Poulair was also awake, for Prince 
Elworth was suddenly startled by a flash of pale light 
which shone from his mantle. 

“ What is it, Poulair ? ” he exclaimed, sitting up from 
the moss upon which he had thrown himself to sleep. 

^‘Nothing, my prince. I thought thou wert asleep. 
I was but trying to see how much power still remained 
in the mantle. It is very weak, my prince, very weak 
indeed. We must hurry to Atlantea.” 

lOI 


The Sea Children 

“Indeed, we must, my Poulair, for I am even more 
eager than thou to see this wonderful jewel and to re- 
store its waning power,” answered Prince Elworth ; 
and he closed his eyes, and in his sleep a peculiar 
dream came to him. 


CHAPTER X 

Prince Elworth saves an Earth 
People's Chariot from sinking 

T he next morning, when Prince Elworth opened 
his eyes, a vague half-remembrance of his dream 
clung to him. He strove to recall it, but could 
remember nothing save that somewhere in dreamland he 
saw a huge golden ewer hanging from a great arch of 
white. More he could not remember. Nor did he try 
very hard to recall the dream, for real things in this 
strange new world soon diverted his mind. 

During the night a school of sea-robins had settled 
all about his sleeping companions. Four of them were 
upon his own cloak, where with their mouths wide 
open they twitched painfully through what appeared to 
be violent convulsions in the effort to get their breath. 
“Oh, what ugly looking creatures,” Prince Elworth 




thought. ‘‘They act as if they were all going to have 
fits. Why don’t they have the fits and be done with 
them ? How silly they look standing there on their 
tails and six horny legs ! ” 

Now a crab came walking along sideways, after the 
manner of crabs, and he walked right among them and 
pushed them rudely out of the way. 

Prince Elworth thought it very absurd for four big, 
awkward things like the sea-robins to allow one miser- 
able little green crab to bully them about that way. He 
felt himself fast developing a feeling of contempt for 
the sea-robins, when suddenly Poulair jumped up and 
waving his arms exclaimed : “ Shoo ! Shoo ! ” just as 
one might do in the Earth World when hens get into 
one’s garden. 

Instantly a hundred, yes, five hundred, sea-robins 
bounded upward, their great fins, which had been folded 
to their sides while in repose, now spread out to their 
full extent, causing them to look like huge butterflies. 

As Prince Elworth stood watching this strange flight 
of queer sea birds, Mora came up with Argo and a 
sturgeon ; and Prince Elworth had his first riding lesson 
in the Sea World. At first he found it quite difficult 
to stay on the backs of these fish steeds, their move- 
ments were so peculiar ; but soon, becoming more ex- 
pert, he could ride with very little danger of falling 
off, and went dashing about at a great rate, now on the 

103 



The Sea Children 


back of Argo, now on the sturgeon ; but he 
confessed a preference for the sturgeon. 
“ For,” said he, “ there are no fins all over 
his back, and one can lie right down and 
hold on tightly to the saddle if one is afraid 
of falling off.” 

‘‘ Had we not better be going, Poulair } ” 
Mora asked, just as Prince Elworth dashed 
up for the tenth time on a beautiful stur- 
geon, his face beaming with pride and 
pleasure, and turned quickly to show his 
skill, for, indeed, he was very proud of 
his new accomplishment. “ We shall 
have a storm soon, a fearful one, I am 
afraid, so the sooner we get into a lower 
plane the better.” 

“Why can’t we put up something 
to let the Earth People know that 
rocks are here, Mora ? ” asked 
Prince Elworth. 

“ That is a good idea, my prince. 
Indeed, let us do so ; and so long 
as the Earth People don’t see us no 
harm can come of it. But, what 
shall it be .? ” 

“Would not those spars do?” 
Prince Elworth said, pointing to the 
masts of the sunken ships. 

“Just the thing,” answered Mora. “ Come on.” 

In a few moments all save four Sea Children, who 
were left on guard, had descended to the ground, and at 
once commenced to cut away the spars. 

Prince Elworth had followed, mounted upon Muriel, 
one of the king sturgeons from the chariot, for his 
morning’s riding lesson had given him sufficient skill 
to sit the back of these novel steeds in safety, and 



The Sea Children 

Poulair had told him that Muriel should be his very 
own. The moment he reached the ground he sprang 
off Muriel’s back, and was soon hard at work with the 
rest on the spars. 

When several of them had been freed from their fas- 
tenings, Mora took one huge one across Argo’s back. 

“ Thou art surely not going to take that all alone, 
my Mora ? ” exclaimed Prince Elworth. 

Lift it, my prince,” answered Mora. 

Prince Elworth did as he was told, and was surprised 
to find that the huge stick had very little weight. 

“ The sea atmosphere is kinder to us in this respect 
also. One can very easily lift a heavy weight in the 
Sea World,” Mora said, as he ascended with the spar. 
Other Sea Children bore the rest of those that had 
been selected, to the topmost rock. 

“ We must hurry now, for the storm is rising,” Mora 
said. “ Prince Elworth, wilt thou tie them together, 
thou art so big and strong?” 

Prince Elworth took the ropes, and being quite skil- 
ful in the management of such things, was binding the 
spars together at the top as directed, when one of the 
four on the ledge below shouted : “ A chariot, Mora ! 
An Earth Chariot ! ” 

All looked in the direction indicated, and saw the 
bottom of a huge chariot not more than half a league 
away. 

“ We must hurry. She is coming this way,” said 
Mora. 



The Sea Children 

“ Thy idea mayst save an Earth People’s chariot 
sooner than expected,” Poulair exclaimed, as he helped 
adjust the cords. 

‘‘ There, now, this end is surely bound. Now stand 
it on end and spread the legs, and the Earth People 
will see it,” said Prince Elworrh. 

“ Pull it tighter. That will slip. Prince Elworth,” 
Mora called. “ We must be quick, for the chariot is 
coming fast and the Earth People must not see us.” 

“ I can pull it no tighter, Mora,” Prince Elworth an- 
swered, tugging away with all his might at the rope. 

“ Let me try,” said Mora, taking the rope from 
Prince Elworth’s hand, and throwing his whole energy 
into a strong pull. Instantly the rope responded, 
cracking and squeaking as though pulled by a full- 
grown man. 

Prince Elworth looked his astonishment; he could 
not speak it. 

“Thou art big, my prince, but thou art young,” 
Mora said, with a smile, kissing his hand to him. 

In a few minutes more the signal was ready, and 
quickly the Sea Children lifted one end of it up into 
the dry atmosphere, and firmly fastened its legs to the 
rock. A piece of sail fluttered from its top. 

The earth chariot was now very near, and driving 
directly toward the rocks. 

“ Oh, I hope they will see it ! ” exclaimed Prince 
Elworth, excitedly. Then, a moment after he shouted 


The Sea Children 

joyfully. “ They do see it ! See, Poulair ! See, Mora ! 
see how the great rudder swings around ! They are 
saved ! ” 

On came the great ship, its bow curving gracefully 
away from the rocks, but so close that the spars were 
within a length of her side. 

“ She has passed the first rock, but — she will strike 
the others ! ” cried Mora. See, she is driving straight 
toward them ! ” 

Bang ! ! ! — 

The sound was like thunder, and the Sea Children 
saw the sharp point of the rock crash into the solid oak 
side of the ship, leaving a ragged hole through which 
a column of water rushed with tremendous force. 

“ Oh, what a pity ! ” exclaimed Prince Elworth. 
“Half a length more and she would have escaped!” 

“ She will sink,” Mora said sadly, “ but it will 
take half an hour or more, so the Earth People will 
have plenty of time to get on their rafts and small 
chariots.” 

Prince Elworth watched the great ship in silent 
horror, striving to think of some way by which the 
boat and her human freightage might 
be saved from the threatening de- 
struction. Suddenly an experience of 
Mollin’s came to him. 

“Moral Poulair I Quick! We 
can help them ! Follow me ! ” and 
jumping into the saddle again he 
directed Muriel downward, with all 
the speed he could command. 

The Sea Children, having confi- 
dence in Prince Elworth, followed 
him straight down to a great ship 
whose sails were still unharmed by 
the water. The instant he reached 
107 



The Sea Children 


the deck he leaped off. “ Quick, cut away the ropes, 
and clear this great sail,” he cried. 

The Sea Children all worked with a will, and Prince 
Elworth himself cut away excitedly with a short sword. 
In a very few minutes the sail was free. 

“ Now, fold and re-fold it together like a huge 
blanket. Quick ! ” Prince Elworth commanded. ‘‘ If 
we are in time we can yet save the ship.” 

In a moment more the huge sail was deftly folded 
^ into a huge square blanket. 

, “ Now, bear it swiftly to the earth chariot. Up 

with it! Speed is life!” cried Prince Elworth, 
V ^ springing onto the back of his king- 



sturgeon and seizing a corner of the blanket. 

A dozen willing hands came to his aid ; and the 
heavy sail was borne with wonderful speed toward the 
earth chariot now nearly half a league away. As they 
drew near they could see that the ship was sinking fast. 

“Hurry! Hurry!” urged Prince Elworth. “Hurry, 
or we will be too late ! ” 

They redoubled their efforts ; and, when directly 
underneath the huge black hull, the Sea Children rose 
quickly toward the surface until they reached the ship’s 
side. 

“ Now, lay the sail flat against the wood, right over 
the hole, so. Hold fast ! ” With a sudden jerk the sail 
was torn from their hands by the force of the in-rushing 
water, and slapped against the side of the ship, where it 
remained as solidly as though nailed there, held by the 
pressure of the water, effectually closing the hole. 
io8 



BRAVO! BRAVO! THOU HAST SAVED THE CHARIOT!’ 
EXCLAIMED POULAIR” 


‘‘ Bravo ! Bravo ! Thou hast saved the chariot ! 
exclaimed Poulair, while the Sea Children crowded 
around him and shouted and laughed their joy. 

“ Hark ! ” called Mora. “ Listen ! Dost hear that 
noise inside?” 

The Sea Children placed their ears against the side 
of the ship, and could plainly hear a queer coughing 
sound. 

“What is it, my prince?” Poulair asked. 

“ They are pumping the water out as fast as they 
can,” explained Prince Elworth, and directing his 
sturgeon a little to one side he glanced up. “ The 
ship is very low in the Sea World, but it will rise 
soon. Won’t they be surprised when they find that 
the hole is stopped?” 

The Sea Children rode along directly underneath the 
ship. They were too anxious for her welfare to leave 
her until they were assured of her safety. Besides, they 
wished to know that the sail remained in place, and, 
heedless of the discomfort to themselves caused by the 
rarity of the upper Sea World atmosphere, they fol- 
lowed on. 

In half an hour the sound of the pumping ceased, and 
another noise took its place. 

“They are Jumping down into the hold to see what 
has happened,” Mora said softly. “Sh — ” and he put 
his finger to his lips. “ They must not hear us.” 

All the Sea Children crowded as closely as possible to 
the damaged spot, and were very much surprised and 
pleased to hear voices, the voices of Earth People heard 
for the first time in centuries. All listened with the 
keenest of interest. 

“ Great Neptune! ” exclaimed one of the voices, “if 


The Sea Children 

a bunch of floating sail cloth has n’t been pressed right 
agin the hole. It must have been torn from that 
sunken wreck whose masts stuck up in such a queer 
way.” 

“ Nail up the hole before the sail is washed away,” 
commanded a gruff" voice, evidently that of the captain ; 
“ and then we ’ll offer a sacrifice to Neptune for our 
deliverance.” 

The sound of hammers followed for some ten minutes, 
the voices growing more and more faint as the hole was 
gradually closed from the inside. Suddenly the sail 
slid from the place where it had done such admirable 
service; and the Sea Children knew that all present 
danger to the earth chariot was over, and, very much 
pleased with their work, turned back to the rocks now 
fully a league away. 

“ That was nobly done, my prince, and we are very 
proud of thee for it,” said Mora, gliding swiftly up to 
the side of Prince Elworth. Then, turning to Leora, 
he added, with a look of amusement : “Why didst thou 
call to us all to come with thee under the bushes when 
the chariot struck the rocks ” 

“ So the Earth People would have no more green 
hair stories to tell,” Leora answered, to the amuse- 
ment of his companions. 




CHAPTER XI 

The Battle on the Silver Plains 

T WO days passed without any stirring or marvellous 
adventures, the procession moving swiftly and 
joyously on its way to Bassynia. On the morn- 
ing of the third day they came to the beginning of the 
Silver Plains, a vast expanse of silver-white sand, stretch- 
ing as far as the eye could reach, and almost unbroken 
in its whiteness save for an occasional hush or rock, 
which, outlining itself against the white sand, served 
only to make the latter appear more dazzling in its 
brightness. There was almost no life. The very fishes 
seemed to avoid it. It was the Sahara of the sea. 

True to Mora’s predictions they had crossed not more 
than a league of these plains when the three sharks 
appeared, two to the right and one to the left. The 
Sea Children at once began to plan an attack on the 
monsters. 

“ Unless all are killed we may as well kill none, for 
one can carry as much news as three can,” said Mora. 
“ Khardi and Chaldea shall follow the one to the left ; 
Armeda, Ferret, Eleesor, and myself shall take those to 
the right. Do not let them escape in the bushes. 
Chase them until they are overtaken and killed, every 
one,” Mora commanded. 

“ Thou, my prince, shalt follow with Poulair, upon 
the forward pair of king-sturgeons from thy chariot, 
and I charge thee not to rush at the shark when he is 

I I 2 


\ 


The Sea Children 

headed in thy direction. Turn and fly as fast as Muriel 
can take thee. She can out-swim the fastest shark in 
the Sea World, but, if thou art hard pressed, remember 
there is only one vulnerable spot upon a shark, — the soft 
crown of his head. A prod there will kill instantly. 
Run no risks until thou hast learned his tricks,” ad- 
monished Mora. 

‘‘Very well; I promise,” answered Prince Elworth. 

For many leagues the great white desert now stretched 
out on either side, and a league or more to the right 
and left swam the great ugly monsters, keeping well 
abreast of the procession. 

Mora was about to give the command to attack when 
a great cry of alarm came from the rear-guard; and, 
turning, the Sea Children beheld, coming swiftly toward 
them and directly in their wake, fully fifty huge sharks, 
their white sides gleaming and sparkling in the clear 
waters. At a glance Mora saw that it would be im- 
possible to return to the hills ; that means of protection 
was now cut off. The only chance for them, unless 
they wished to fight, was in a swim for Bassynia. Their 
safety lay in their greater speed. “Forward! Haste! 
Straight for Bassynia, my brethren,” Mora commanded. 
Then, after a moment, he added : “ No, no! turn grad- 
ually to the right, and take the Red Shell Valley. We 
can leave those behind us leagues to the rear before long ; ” 
and he laughed merrily. “ Stupid of me not to have 
thought at once that they would not gather their whole 
force in one place,” he continued, by way of explaining 
the change in his command. “ Of course there are as 
many more on the other side of the plains.” 

“What makes thee think so.?” 

Poulair, anxiously. “ Truly thou 
credit the shark with more intelli- 
gence than I am willing to give 
him.” 



The Sea Children 


“ Why didst they wait for us to pass them, my Pou- 
lair, knowing that they could not catch a sturgeon nor 
a sword-fish?” Then, answering his own question, he 
added, “ They let us pass so they could get us between 
their divided forces, and, unless thou dost countermand 
my orders, I am not going to dive directly into their 
gaping maws.” 

Poulair at once saw the force of Mora’s reasoning, 
and said : “ I have confidence in thy judgment, my 
Mora. Let us make for the Red Shell Valley.” 

Mora had set a furious pace, which the sturgeons, 
fleet as they were, found difficulty in keeping. Prince 
Elworth’s steed, Muriel, shot forward with the rest, 
and, for a moment, he regretted that he had not re- 
mained in the chariot until he had become a more 
expert rider. However, the excitement caused by the 
very danger of the situation acted like a strong stimu- 
lant. He gripped his newly acquired lance firmly and 
glanced to see that his sword was in place. The fear 
that came to him when he first saw the pursuing sharks 
disappeared, a thrill of exultation came in 
its place, inspired by the confidence he 
had in his wonderful companions and the 
superior speed of their mounts. 

“ We are leaving them behind rapidly,” 
Poulair observed. 

“ All but two, my Poulair,” cried 
Khardi. “ See them away to the 
right ? ” 

“ They are making for the Red Shell 
Valley,” Mora shouted. “ Poulair, 
hast ever seen those monsters before ? 
Dost remember?” 

“No, my Mora, not es- 
pecially. They are huge 
fellows, but I am afraid I 



The Sea Children 


lack thy power of discerning individual sharks. They 
all look alike to me.” 

“ Dost remember a dozen years ago near Atlantea, 
when the king of the sharks and his fierce body-guard 
had to be taught a lesson?” 

“ Oh, yes ; then those are two of the body-guard ? ” 

“ They are, Poulair. They are swifter than sword- 
fish, and can overtake us, I fear.” 

“ Well, let them, my Mora. The king will surely 
lose two of his guards if they do.” 

At this moment a loud shout came from the van- 
guard. 

“Look! look! Poulair!” cried Mora, 
excitedly. “ There are the others ! I 
did not expect them so soon;” and his 
quick eyes turned rapidly hither and 
thither, seeking some way of escape 
from the encompassing enemies. 

Poulair’s face grew white. Far to 
the front his keen eyes could see a 
mass of shimmering white spots, rapidly 
growing larger as they came nearer. 

“ I fear we must fight for it, Mora,” 
he cried. “ See, they have divined our 
purpose ! — they are heading directly 
for the entrance to the Red Shell 
Valley ! ” 

For a moment Mora’s clear eyes 
measured the distance, then rising 
in his saddle he shouted : “ Faster ! 
faster ! If they reach the valley 
first we must fight, not one, but a 
hundred fierce sharks. Now for 
the race of our lives!” and, bend- 
ing well forward upon Argo so as 
to offer the least possible resistance 

115 



The Sea Children 

to the heavy sea atmosphere, he urged the noble animal 
to its utmost speed. 

The steeds all responded nobly, as though they knew 
their danger. For the time those behind were for- 
gotten. Those ahead commanded all attention. It 
was a race between them and the Sea Children, a race 
which would end in tragedy if they won, and the 
chances were even. On, on they came in regular order, 
their great tails and sides curving rapidly and flashing in 
the sunlight like polished metal. 

Suddenly Mora turned in his saddle. His face was 
white, and in his eyes was the light of battle. ‘‘ Pou- 
lair, the race is to the enemy. We must fight! ” he 
said shortly. “ But thou mayst yet save Prince El- 
worth from the danger of it. Muriel and thy sturgeon 
are very fleet. Ride as thou hast never ridden before, 
straight for the Red Shell Valley. Go, and may Nep- 
tune go with thee I ” and Mora turned and darted 
swiftly to the head of his soldiers. 

For an instant Poulair hesitated. It seemed cowardly 
to fly at the moment of greatest peril, and Poulair was 
brave. But the fate of the Sea Children rested on the 
fate of Prince Elworth. It was his duty to save him. 
That thought decided him ; and, turning to Prince 
Elworth, he said : “ Mora is right. Come. There is 
yet a chance for thee — ” 

“But why not stay and help Mora?” interrupted 
Prince Elworth. 

“No, no!” exclaimed Poulair. “Thou dost not 
know how to fight the sharks. Thou wouldst be but 
an additional care to Mora. Besides, think of Alledra’s 
jewel and the Sea Children. Come; we must not 
delay an instant longer.” Poulair gave a sharp com- 
mand to their steeds and both of them darted forward 
with such speed that, in a few minutes, their brethren 
were left far behind. At the rate they were now going 


The Sea Children 

it would be impossible for the sharks to cut them off, 
but the two fleet members of the king’s guard were 
holding their own, although not gaining upon them. 

They leaned well forward upon their steeds, riding 
silently, Poulair in the lead. For a few minutes they 
rode thus ; then, with a shout of triumph, Poulair 
turned his sturgeon into the entrance of the Red Shell 
Valley. Most unfortunately. Prince Elworth’s lance 
slipped just then, and as he loosened one hand to re- 
cover it, Muriel turned sharply, after the manner of 
fishes, to follow Poulair, and Prince Elworth was hurled 
violently from her back, 
falling rapidly to the 
ground almost in the 
teeth of the foremost 
shark. Instinctively 
he suppressed a cry, 
for fear of drawing 
Poulair back to meet 
the fate that he now felt must surely be his. The mo- 
ment he struck the sand he sprang to his knees and dug 
the end of his lance in the sand. He acted just in time. 
Clearly he remembered Mora’s warning words, and, as 
he saw the huge monster sweeping down upon him, 
he noted the exact spot on the great head in which to 
bury the keen point of his strong lance. Then there 
was a rushing sound above his head, and with a mighty 
swish of his great tail the shark was upon him. To 
his agonized companions, whose frantic shouting he 
could hear faintly in the distance, this moment was a 
terrible one ; some of them involuntarily covered their 
eyes with their hands. They could not bear to see its 
awful ending. 

Prince Elworth’s eyes never once left that spot on the 
shark’s head. His muscles seemed turned to steel, and 
he held his lance firmly in place. The monster hurled 

117 



The Sea Children 

himself upon it as though shot from a catapult, and 
straight and true the lance struck and pierced him in 
the vital spot. 

Prince Elworth tried to spring to one side to avoid 
collision with the huge body, but was too late. It 
struck and knocked him. end over end on the sand ; 
and, as he rolled over and over, he saw the shining 
white sides of the other shark hardly a length away. 
Desperate, and not knowing what else to do, not even 
having time to rise to his feet or to draw his sword, he 
threw one arm up over his head, thinking to ward off 
the creature. At this awful moment the fear of death 
did not occur to him ; but the thought of his failure 
to restore the power to Alledra’s jewel and all that that 
meant to the Sea Children, flashed over him and filled 
him with grief for his companions. 

But unexpected help was at hand, for, just as the shark 
was about to snap up Prince Elworth, there was a rush 
and a swirl near his head, and a big black mass shot 
before him. Help of some kind had arrived, and, ready 
to take advantage of it, he struggled to his feet to find 
that Muriel had saved his life at the cost of a painful 
bite in her side. Even now she darted about swiftly 
between him and the shark, ready to give her life, if 
need be, to save his. 

Again the shark charged directly at Prince Elworth, 
and again Muriel met the charge, head on, this time 
escaping without a wound. Then she turned, and. 




“JUST AS THE SHARK WAS ABOUT TO SNAP UP 
PRINCE ELWORTH, THERE WAS A RUSH AND A SWIRL NEAR HIS 
HEAD, AND A BIG BLACK MASS SHOT BEFORE HIM” 



The Sea Children 

diving almost into the sand, fairly scooped Prince 
Elworth onto her back. 

Instinctively he clung there with all the strength 
which desperation engenders ; clung there half in the 
saddle and half out of it, while Muriel carried him at 
full speed toward the rapidly approaching Sea Chil- 
dren, among whom she dashed, taking her usual place. 

There was no time for words now. 

‘‘ Down ! down ! ” commanded Mora ; and while 
all were descending he shouted : “ Dome formation ! 
Sturgeon guards, dismount ! Quick ! ” 

In a trice they had formed as Mora commanded. 
They looked for all the world like a huge animated 
beehive, out of which projected so many lances and 
sword-fish swords that one could hardly find an un- 
guarded space large enough to thrust an arm in. 

“Stand firm!” Mora commanded, as with a swish 
and a swirl both bodies of sharks rushed headlong at 
this bristling, prickly bunch of points. Hardly one 
escaped uninjured from that charge. Many were dead, 
pierced through the crown, and were now floating up- 



The Sea Children 

ward in a crimson cloud of blood, which rose like 
smoke to the upper atmosphere. 

“ Carefully, Khardi, carefully ; that fellow is not dead. 
Keep away from his mouth ! ” called Mora, warningly. 

Khardi was trying hard to disengage his lance from 
the head of a monster, which he had pierced so deeply 
that the lance held fast, and which he thought he had 
killed outright. But hardly had Mora’s warning shout 
been given, when, suddenly, the wounded fish gathered 
all his remaining energy in one mighty plunge, and 
forced himself, lance and all, right into the midst of 
the group where Prince Elworth stood with drawn 
sword. 

“ The prince ! the prince ! Eleesor, to the rescue ! ” 
Mora shouted. 

‘‘ Let me have him ! He is mine ! ” Prince Elworth 
cried, excitedly, thrusting at the monster with all his 
strength. His sword pierced the creature’s head, but 
not in the vital spot, and, with a mighty lash of the 
tail the giant shot round, knocking Prince Elworth 




over; then, diving suddenly, was about to snap him 
up in his wide-open jaws, when — bang! Muriel bat- 
tered her head full against the creature’s stomach, turn- 
ing him completely over. In another second Prince 
Elworth’s sword sank into the shark’s brain, and a dozen 
lances from the Sea Children forming the inner wall 
of the dome pinned him fast to the sand. 

“ Muriel is avenged 1 ” cried Prince Elworth, joyously, 
for the dead monster was one of the king’s body-guard, 
from whose jaws Muriel had, for a second time, so . 
bravely rescued him. 

‘‘ Out with him 1 Quickly ! ” Mora commanded. 

An opening was made and the creature forced out. , 

‘‘ Eleesor, surround the prince! Here they come ' 
again ! Now, Armeda, be careful ! Never mind those J 
blue backs, Chaldea! They have enough of it ! Help 
Armeda ! ” Mora commanded, his eyes glancing in 
every direction. 

Prince Elworth, watching from within, saw Mora 
himself leave his position, and charge with Argo right 
into a mass of struggling, swirling, twisting sharks, 
which Armeda’s guard were endeavoring to keep at .1 
their lances’ points. One big fellow, although impaled ; 
upon several lances, seemed to be gaining an opening. ' 
“ Eorce him! Force him back!” shouted Mora. A 
moment’s breathless struggle, and slowly the brute was , 
forced to retreat ; but not until a blow from his tail I 
had struck Armeda insensible and knocked him from ' 
his saddle into the arms of Prince Elworth. 


122 


The Sea Children 

“Close up! Here they come again!” Mora com- 
manded. “ Now let every lance point strike true ! ” 
Again the battle raged, but less fiercely this time. 
The sharks sniffed the gore of their dead comrades and 
the temptation weakened them. 

“ Cowards ! Gourmands ! ” Mora cried, derisively. 
“ Greed is stealing thy courage. Come on ! Don’t 
lose that fellow, Khardi ! Leora, help him ! Good 
for thee, Leora ! That was a master stroke ! Now 
watch them ! See them go ! ” 

One of them, unable to resist the to him delicious 
odour of carrion any longer, darted upward, and one by 
one others gave way, following him, until there was a 
general stampede in the direction of the dead ones 
above. 

“ That ends this fight,” Mora said, the look of battle 
going from his face. “ Fall in line and stand ready ! ” 
Then, descending quickly, he joined the little group 
working over Armeda. “ How is he .? Has he re- 
covered?” he asked anxiously. “ Poulair, has the — 
Why, where is Poulair ? ” 

“ Over in the Red Shell Valley. See him ; he comes 
this way,” Eleesor responded. 

“ Escort him ! Speed quickly, Eleesor ! Some of 
those fellows might harm him.” 



The Sea Children 

Eleesor and his sword-fish guard swam away at full 
speed. 

‘‘We must be gone at once. Let us put Armeda in 
the chariot, Prince Elworth,” Mora said. 

“ See, he opens his eyes, Mora ! ” Prince Elworth 
exclaimed, as he and Mora lifted their wounded com- 
panion tenderly, then added, “ Dost thou feel better, 
my Armeda ? ” 

“Yes,” Armeda answered faintly. Then rubbing 
his eyes and looking about him he asked : “ Why, 
where have I been? Where are the sharks?” 

“ Oh, they have gone to — to bury their dead, Ar- 
meda. There, now, lie right here in the chariot, and 
Poulair shall care for thee,” Mora responded sweetly. 

“ Oh, I feel quite well now, Mora,” Armeda said, 
trying to stand, but almost fainting at the effort. 

“ Forward ! ” Mora commanded, and the procession 
moved quickly toward the Red Shell Valley, meeting 
the returning Sea Children with Poulair, who at once 
jumped into the chariot, and placed a small gottle bulb 
to Armeda’s lips. “ Drink this, Armeda,” he said ; 
“ and thou shalt not long feel ill.” 

Armeda did as Poulair requested, and almost imme- 
diately the paleness left his cheeks, and his eyes shone 
with their accustomed brightness. 

Poulair then turned to 
Prince Elworth, who rode 
alongside. “ Why didst 
thou not call me to help 
thee, my prince ? ” he 
asked. 

“ Call thee, my Poulair? 
Why, I thought there was 
no possibility of escape, 
and, had I done so, thou 
wouldst also have been 



The Sea Children 

killed; so why call thee when thou couldst save thyself?” 
Prince Elworth said, reaching for Poulair’s outstretched 
hand and clasping it affectionately. 

“Thou didst wrong, my prince. Thou shouldst 
have called me. Thou wilt never know the torture I 
endured when I discovered, too late, thy peril. Thy 
life is of supreme importance to the Sea Children, and 
we would gladly give our lives a dozen times over, nay, 
a hundred times, to save thine, not only for thy sake, 
but for the sake of all the Sea Children, whose saviour 
thou art destined to be. But, it was a noble thought. 
Prince Elworth, and I love thee the better for it. Still 
thou shouldst have called me. Thou art a wonderful 
fighter, my prince. Think of it ! thy first shark, one 
of the shark-king’s guard, measuring four lengths!” 

“ He also killed the other one of the guard, Poulair,” 
Eleesor called out. 

“ Bravo I I am even more proud of thee, my prince. 
Thou art a great warrior ; but, I pray thee, don’t run 
any more risks. Let us do that.” 

“ Poulair, thou givest me too much credit. Had it 



The Sea Children 


not been for Muriel I would have been killed. She 
saved me twice, and see, she is severely wounded.” 

“ Poor Muriel,” Poulair said, gently stroking the 
smooth side of the beautiful beast. “ Thou didst a 
noble deed.” Then taking a shell flask from a small 
locker in the side of the chariot he poured from it a 
rich oily fluid over the shark’s bite. “ There, dost not 
that make thee feel better.? Thou shalt have a treat, 
my Muriel. Thou shalt have all the sweet sticks and 
milk thou canst eat and drink when we get to Bassynia 
for that brave act of thine. Yes, indeed, thou shalt ; ” 
and Poulair stroked the huge scale-armoured creature 
as though she were a sister. 



CHAPTER XII 



the 



L ate that afternoon a solitary, cone-shaped moun- 
tain loomed up out of the level bush-covered 
plain. There was not even a foot-hill around 
the base of the huge blue-green pile. It stood there 
alone in its grandeur, its majesty ; its kingship undisputed 
from horizon to horizon, north, south, east, or west. 


The Sea Children 

Prince Elworth was now again seated with Poulair 
in the chariot, Armeda having wholly recovered and 
resumed his command. Noticing that the procession 
headed directly toward the mountain he asked : “ Art 
going to that mountain, Poulair } ” 

“ Yes. That is the Mount of Ages ; and upon its 
top is the city of Bassynia,” Poulair answered. 

‘‘ But I see no city ! ” Prince Elworth exclaimed. 

‘‘ The top is scooped out like a gigantic cup, my 
prince, and the city is in the cup — Why, my prince, 
where is thy cap .? ” 

“ I lost it when that shark knocked me over,” an- 
swered the prince. 

Poulair reached under the seat of the chariot and 
brought forth a beautiful pearl head-band with a gold 
jewelled coronet in front, which he adjusted to Prince 
El worth’s head, saying, “Well, I am glad thou didst 
lose it, for of a truth thou dost look more like a Sea 
Child now.” 

Three long musical blasts were sounded upon the 
mogle shells ; then, after a moment of silence, three 
long answering blasts came from the distance. 

“ Do I not see them, Poulair ? There, on the 
walls.?” Prince Elworth asked excitedly. 

“Yes, my prince, thou seest the guard.” 

Eagerly and joyously they now moved forward with 
all the speed they could command, Chaldea’s musicians 
meanwhile playing a sweet, lively air with ^11 the 
power of their mogle shells. When within shouting 
distance the music was almost drowned out by joyous 
cheering, accompanied by the waving of lances and 
pieces of drapery. Their cheers were answered from 
hundreds of throats ; and Prince Elworth saw^ in the 
middle of the cup a beautiful raised garden, and in the 
garden a group of Sea Children joyously awaiting their 
coming. 


127 


The Sea Children 

“ There is Usheen ! ” exclaimed Poulair. “ See him, 
my prince, that tall figure ! Usheen shall receive thee. 
Then, my prince, prepare for a great surprise.” 

Over the walls they sped, straight up to the garden, 

where stood the group 
of Sea Children, ar- 
ranged in a semi- 
circle to receive them. 
Within this space sat 
five beautiful girls, and 
directly in front of the 
girls stood a Sea Child 
more beautiful and 
stately than the others. 
This was Usheen, the 
Prince of the City. 

The chariot stopped 
in front of this group. 

“Welcome, dear 
brethren ; and thee. 
Prince Elworth, I bid 
thee a heart-felt wel- 
come in the name of 
the Sea Children and 
the City of Bassynia,” 
Usheen said, affection- 
ately embracing Pou- 
lair and Prince Elworth. Then taking Prince Elworth 
by the hand he added : “ It is my pleasure to give to 
thee, my prince, the gift that is only bestowed upon 
Sea Children. Step upon this stone. Prince Elworth ; ” 
and Usheen pointed to a disk of beautiful translucent 
crystal that flashed with all the colours of the rain- 
bow and upon which was engraven many symbolic 
characters. 

“ Thou dost astonish me, my Usheen ! Thou art 

128 



The Sea Children 

the image of myself, save in size ! How wonderful ! ” 
Prince Elworth said, stepping carelessly from the chariot 
upon the stone, his eyes still dwelling on the beautiful 
face of Usheen. 

Then a very wonderful thing happened. The mo- 
ment Prince Elworth’s feet felt the smooth surface of the 
crystal a thrill, a wave of fire, shot through his entire 
body, from his feet to his head, up and down his spine, 
out even to his finger-tips, while a thousand million 
little needle points seemed pressing against every part of 
his skin. 

Catch him, Usheen ! He will fall ! ” Poulair cried. 
But there was no need, for Prince Elworth’s faintness 
passed in a moment or two, giving way to a delightful, 
tingling sensation throughout his entire body, while his 
blood leaped joyously in his veins. 

“ What has happened to me?” Prince Elworth asked. 
“ I feared that I had become ill ; but now I feel as if 
I had been made anew ! ” 

‘‘ Thou hast stepped upon the Rock of Perpetual 
Youth, my prince. Thou hast felt the freshening cur- 
rent of a new youth pass through thy veins. That is 
the gift which the Sea Children alone canst give. Now, 
thou wilt never grow old, but wilt remain as youthful 
in appearance and as beautiful as thou now art through 
all the coming centuries,” answered Usheen. 

Prince Elworth was too astounded to speak. He 
could do nothing but look from one smiling face to 
another, while trying to comprehend the import of 
what Usheen had said. And shall I never grow old ? 
Shall I always remain young ? Wonderful, wonderful ! ” 
he mused. Then, suddenly, his face lit up, and taking 
a step toward the foremost of the five girls, he exclaimed 
joyously, ‘‘ Leonore, my sister ! Is it possible thou hast 
also become a Sea Child ! ” 

The sweet young girl took both of Prince Elworth’s 

129 


The Sea Children 

outstretched hands, and answered smiling, “ My name is 
Niam, my prince.” Prince Elworth was startled on 
hearing this name, Niam, for it served to help him 
recall where he had first heard Usheen’s name. “ I am 
glad,” Niam continued, “ if I resemble thy earth-sister. 
How happy we are that thou hast come ! ” Then turn- 
ing to her companions she added : “ And these are also 

thy sisters, thy Sea- World 
sisters, my prince, — 
Della, Sunee, and Kora, 
and Nellen. Thou must 
love us, my prince, for we 
are very fond of thee.” 

The story of their ad- 
ventures had been quickly 
whispered around, and 
every one of the Sea 
Children felt that he 
must express his joy, 
personally, at Prince 
Elworth’s miraculous 
escapes. Then Muriel 
had to come in for her 
share of the honours, and 
was almost overwhelmed 
with demonstrations of 
affection and admiration, 
found an opportunity he 
said to Usheen: “Dost know, my Usheen, that the 
Earth People tell a sea legend concerning a Usheen and 
a Niam ?” 

“ No, do they? We have often wondered if they had 
heard. Princess Pathania knew nothing of it, nor did 
Fredol, nor Leora, who have come since then. Wilt 
tell us the story, my prince?” asked the very much 
interested Usheen. 



130 


The Sea Children 

Every Sea Child became attentive at once, and all, 
gathering closely, sat upon the soft moss in a circle, 
eager to hear the earth story. 

“ I had always thought it a myth,” Prince Elworth 
began ; “ but I now 
see there was some 
truth in it. This is 
the story: Once upon 
a time a maiden named 
Niam, a grown-up 
maiden, of course, lived 
on a little island in the 
sea, where she had 
lived many centuries, 
for she was immortal, 
and the isle was the 
Island of Perpetual 
Youth. A king named 
Usheen heard of her, 
and wished to make 
her his queen. Now, 
when Niam heard of 
this king, she mounted 
a horse and rode over 
the seas, and brought 
Usheen to her is- 
land. The moment 
he stepped upon the island he became young, and was 
told that he would remain young as long as he stayed 
there.” 

Usheen leaned forward, putting his chin in the palms 
of his hands. All listened intently. 

“ Well, after a hundred years,” Prince Elworth went 
on, “King Usheen grew homesick, and begged Niam 
for one glimpse of his home, promising to return with 
her if she would only grant his request. Niam prom- 



NIAM 



The Sea Children 


ised upon the condition that he would not touch the 
earth with his feet.” 

The Sea Children laughed so merrily at this that 
Prince Elworth wondered how much basis of truth the 
legend contained. 

“ When Usheen came to his own home 
he saw that every one was weaker and 
smaller than he ; in fact he had become 
a giant. Feeling sorry for some little 
men, who were trying to roll a big stone, 
Usheen stooped to help them, and fell 
from the horse which he was riding, be- 
hind Niam. The instant his feet touched 
the ground he changed at once into a very 
old, old man.” 

Do not stop, my prince ? What be- 
came of him ? ” asked Usheen, anxiously. 

“The men ran away, frightened 
nearly to death ; and Niam, who had 
accompanied him, dropped some gold 
and pearls over him and sadly rode 
away over the seas,” continued Prince 
Elworth. “ Soon some fishermen 
came along and helped him into their 
huts, and he told them his strange 
story ; but they did not believe it, of 
course, and kept it to themselves. Their great-grand- 
children told it a hundred years after, possibly with 
variations.” 

Usheen looked as though very much relieved and 
said : “ It makes us all happy to know that my father 
reached the shore. Wouldst thou know the true story, 
my prince ? ” 

“ Indeed, I would, my Usheen.” 

“Well, when I became a Sea Child just four cen- 
turies ago, Niam awaited me here with Alledra’s 
132 



The Sea Children 

jewel as Princess Pathania is now awaiting thee in 
Atlantea.” 

“Art thou — ” began Prince Elworth, then checking 
himself, added ; “ Thy pardon, Usheen ; continue.” 

“Thou shalt soon know,” answered 
Usheen, anticipating the question. 

“ Before we started,” he continued, 

“ Poulair, who came for me as he came 
for thee, allowed me to tie a note to 
some Earth People s cod lines, telling 
King Usheen, my father, that I had 
become a Sea Child, and was going to 
live with the Sea Children near a little 
island three hundred leagues south- 
ward, and that Niam, who had disap- 
peared two hundred years before, was 
also a Sea Child, and lived where I was 
going. A short time after our arrival 
at the island a small Earth People’s 
chariot was wrecked in a storm near 
the island, and when its single occu- 
pant fell deep down into the Sea World 
I recognised my father. King Usheen. 

Anxiously I went to his aid, and con- 
veyed him in safety to the island. But 
while in the Sea World he had recog- 
nised me. Imagine, my prince, what 
a position we were in. He could not 
speak to me in the Sea World, nor I to 
him outside of it, but we could em- 
brace each other, and that we did 
every day and many times a day. Frequently we made 
ready our chariot for him to ride back to his country, 
but he always refused to leave the island.” 

Prince Elworth looked around as though in search 
of it. 



133 



** Oh, this is the island,” Niam said, divining his 
purpose. “ It then reached above the sea world.” 

My father soon became very fond of us all,” Usheen 
continued, ‘‘and we of him. We brought him the 
choicest fruits of the Sea World, and the finest clothes 
from the wrecked chariots. Soon we discovered that 
the island was slowly sinking, a little every year. 
Finally, after many, very many years had gone by, and 
when the island had almost sunken into the sea, we 
made ready the chariot again and took the king, my 
father, as near as we dared to go to the beach from 
which thou, also Niam, and Princess Pathania, and my- 
self became Sea Children. He caressed us all affection- 
ately when we left him this side of the sand ridge, 
giving him strings of pearls and many gold coins, for 
presents to the Earth People who would care for him. 
I am glad to know that they did care for him, my 
prince, and I thank thee, we all thank thee, for the 
story.” 

“ I am the gainer by it, my Usheen, for now I see 
that thou and sweet Niam are my kin, my cousins of 
past centuries. I will call thee cousins, if I may,” he 
said, caressing them. 


»34 


The Sea Children 

“ Yes, we are thy cousins, my prince. 

But now it is time to sup, and we had 
better go at once. Afterwards a mat- 
ter of extreme importance awaits our 
consideration,” said Usheen. 

Poulair and Mora both observed 
that the faintest suggestion of a shadow 
overspread Usheen’s beautiful face as he 
said this, and they at once asked what 
had occurred to trouble him. 

“ Let us sup first, my brethren. 

Come,” he said, and led the way with 
Prince Elworth by his side across the 
garden, full of beautiful, waving, many- 
coloured flowers and mosses, over the 
soft lawns and down a flight of white alabaster steps into 
the fairy-like city beneath, where mysterious lights began 
to appear against the growing darkness. 

Prince Elworth now saw for the first time a city in 
which no dwellings were visible, nothing but openings 
in the solid, verdure-covered rock itself ‘‘ How mar- 
vellous thy city is, my Usheen ! ” he remarked. “ How 
weird are thy living lights ! Thou must show me how 
thou dost manage to confine them just where thou dost 
need them; and how thou dost keep the many-legs, and 
cleaners and pickers, and crabs and star-fish, and claw- 
shells and runners, and wigglers and flat-fish, and all 
these things from getting continually under thy feet 
Why, I have not seen any around here at all ! ” 

“ Does that surprise thee, my prince?” 

“ Ves, indeed; I have been dodging them ever since 
I came to the sea world. Poulair has taught me to 
suspect every bush, every plant, every rock for fear that 
it hid some dangerous wild thing, and to watch every 
footstep, for fear of treading upon some unpleasant 
creature half hidden in the sand ; and, oh, what a relief, 
135 



The Sea Children 

to feel that one can walk fearlessly and without caution, 
or sleep without being awakened by a crab crawling 
across one’s face ! ” 

Usheen laughed heartily. “ Thou hast seen only the 
jungle of the sea world, my prince. Thou surely wouldst 
not expect our homes to be like that ; they are not so 
in the earth world.” They now entered into a long 
mysteriously lighted hall, where 
the evening meal was spread. 

Prince Elworth was assigned 
a place between his two cousins, 
Usheen and Niam, the place of 
honour. Gold bowls full of the 
choicest mosses, and deals and 
berries and other sea fruits were 
spread in profusion over tables 
adorned with sea roses, sea vio- 
lets, and sea lilies, and heather 
blooms, while festoons of mosses 
and beautiful flowers hung from 
the ceiling. 

A dish of brilliant scarlet, 
flower-like moss was placed 
before Prince Elworth. He 
ate, and the taste was delicious. 

“ Thou hast so many pretty things to eat that I am 
puzzled to tell which is for food and which is for 
decoration,” he remarked. 

The scene was entrancingly beautiful. Soft music 
came from an unseen source ; living lights, confined in 
weird-shaped enclosures overhead, moved slowly about 
in them, casting a brilliant light down upon the laughing, 
merry throng and among the gently sw'aying purple and 
green mosses and flowers which grew from the walls and 
ceiling, and which formed the softest of cushions to 
lean against or beds to recline upon. 

136 




‘<<THOU HAST SO MANV PRETTY THINGS 
TO EAT THAT 1 AM PUZZLED TO TELL WHICH IS FOR FOOD 
AND WHICH IS FOR DECORATION”* 




The Sea Children 

“A new surprise has greeted me every hour in the 
sea world, my cousin, but nothing have I seen before to 
compare even remotely with the wondrous fairy-like 
beauty of this hall. Thou dost fill me with amazement 
at every turn.” 

His companions’ eyes expressed their pleasure at his 
appreciation. 

“ But even more marvellous does it seem,” Prince 
Elworth continued, “ that thou, Usheen, and Niam art 
centuries old, while I am but fourteen years ; and that 
I, like thee, will now never grow old, will never feel 
old age creeping upon me, but will live, as thou hast 
lived, for centuries, keeping ever young and fair. This 
is the marvel of marvels, and a sweet and joyous thing 
to know. How can I thank thee, my Usheen. for this 
most wondrous gift ? ” 

“ Thou owest me no thanks, my prince, for thou art 
a Sea Child, and all Sea Children receive the gift of 
perpetual youth,” answered Usheen, smiling sweetly. 

“In the earth world many strange 
legends are told concerning the lost 
Isle of Perpetual Youth,” Prince 
Elworth said, musingly. 

“ And they are not altogether un- 
truthful,” Usheen answered. “Thou 
hast found the isle, my prince ; the 
isle that Chaldea chose two thousand 
years ago upon which to place the 
crystal from Atlantea’s Lake; but its 
gift is for Sea Children only.” 

When the meal was ended all the 
Sea Children drew closely together in 
a circle around Prince Elworth, and 
little Della said: “We all wish to 
hear of thy adventures from thine 
own lips. Prince Elworth. Wilt 

138 






thou tell us them ? and then tell us about the Earth 
People and their queer ideas concerning Sea Children ?” 

“Willingly, my little sister,” answered Prince El- 
worth. Then for an hour or two he entertained all 
with an account of his shark adventures and with stories 
and legends of water-sprites, water-elves, nymphs, nixes, 
mermaids, and mermen that Earth People tell to their 
children. 

At length Usheen arose and announced that it was 
time to retire. Prince Elworth thought, as he stood in 
a small gallery near the entrance waving good-nights 
to the Sea Children as they trooped by on their way to 
the Halls of Rest, that never before had he eaten so 
delicious a feast or spent so enjoyable an evening. 

When all had gone Usheen led the way to a small 
council room, where Mora and his staff had already 
gathered, and had been anxiously awaiting the coming 
of Usheen, Poulair, and Prince Elworth. 

“ We have news from Alledra,” Usheen announced, 
proceeding at once to the subject. 

“ What ! ” exclaimed the now very much excited Sea 
Children. 

“ Yes, my brethren. Two torn and bleeding sturgeons 

139 


The Sea Children 

arrived with the news at Patua two days ago, and 
Wenna’s guard came with it at once. They just re- 
turned before thy arrival.” 

“ What is the news?” Mora asked. 

“ Here it is. I will read it,” Usheen said, producing 
two tablets and reading. 

“ To our beloved Taddeus and brothers and sisters^ greetings : 

“It is now time for the new prince. Notify Usheen not to 
lose a moment in getting him here, for a strange illness is 
affecting our beloved Princess Pathania; and, as she weakens, 
the power of the jewel weakens. Tell Poulair the sharks and 
squids are thicker in the West Valley. His last message 
received six years ago. The fish that brought it was torn so 
fearfully in crossing the mountains that he died. We feared 
risking others in sending messages, but it is now necessary. 
Am sending six in duplicate. Answer with six. 

“ Anxiously we await, 

“ Alledra.” 

Mora broke the silence which followed, saying softly 
and with much pathos : “ Then that illness was the 
cause of the jewels’ loss of power.” 

“Yes, Mora, again thou art right. I feared to 
acknowledge it,” Poulair answered. 

“ How fortunate it was that we came away while 
the power of the jewel was yet strong enough to protect 
us while crossing the mountains,” Mora observed. 
“Thou didst make one serious mistake, Poulair. Thou 
shouldst have brought Princess Pathania to Bassynia.” 

“ Indeed, I have often acknowledged that to myself,” 
Poulair responded, “ but,” he added, “ who would have 



The Sea Children 

thought that her illness would last so long. Dost 
think — ” and Poulair looked what he could not say. 

“ Let us hope, my brethren,” Usheen said fervently. 
The Sea Children were too much affected to con- 
verse further, and by common consent they walked in 
silence, affectionately interlocked, to the Halls of Rest. 

‘‘We will start at break of day, Usheen. Kindly 
give orders to the guard to that effect. No, no, don’t 
ask us to stay. We must go ! ” Poulair said. 

“Thou art right, Poulair. Thou shouldstgo at once. 
The night’s greetings, my brethren, and sweet rest,” 
Usheen answered, as he left them in the Halls of Rest, 
and went on his way to the guards. 



CHAPTER XIII 

The Milk Fog 

P RINCE ELWORTH awoke the next morning 
and looked about him. It was still dark in the 
hall, but a faint mysterious suggestion of light 
outlined the entrance. Rising softly, so as not to dis- 
turb his companions, whom he knew were near, he felt 
his way carefully toward the entrance. Arriving there 
he could see nothing, although the sea all around was 
bathed in a soft white light. Surely this was daylight, 
yet, strange to tell, not an object could be seen any- 
where. The sea hung like a great misty veil over all. 


The Sea Children 

He waited a few moments, marvelling greatly. Slowly 
the light grew brighter, the veil shone with a greater 
radiance, but was as impenetrable and mysterious as ever. 
He turned and looked into the hall. He could not see 
a sleeping form, nor the walls of the room, nor even the 

floor beneath his feet. 
It was as if the whole 
ocean had turned to milk. 
Or, and Prince Elworth 
shuddered at the thought, 
had the atmosphere of 
the Sea World affected his 
sight ? Was he growing 
blind ? He held his hand 
close to his face; it 
was a blurred silhouette. 
He closed his eyes and 
rubbed them, then 
opened both quickly. 
Still the white, mysteri- 
ous mist enshrouded all. 
But soon the brightness 
of the light began to 
make the outlines of 
near-by objects dimly vis- 
ible. Suddenly Prince 
Elworth started, and slid 
quickly behind the entrance, instinctively laying his 
hand on the hilt of his sword. An indistinct shape was 
slowly approaching. It came nearer. Prince Elworth 
drew his sword. In this marvellous world he knew not 
what to expect. The shadowy outline grew more dis- 
tinct. Prince Elworth threw himself in a posture of 
defence. He would fight, if need be. Then the ap- 
proaching form resolved itself into the outlines of two 
Sea Children, walking side by side, with their arms 

142 



The Sea Children 

around each other. Another careful step and he saw 
the twinkle of their jewels. 

“ Carefully, Bethesda, or thou wilt trip. The en- 
trance is here,” he heard one of them whisper. 

“ It is Bethesda and Corlissa,” thought Prince Elworth 
at once. The affection which these two Sea Chil- 
dren had shown each other 
during the previous evening 
had affected him deeply ; 
besides he had taken an 
especial interest in them 
because of their adventure 
with the Earth People. He 
waited until they were 
within arm reach, then, 
stepping out from behind 
the entrance, he asked : 

‘‘ Art thou Bethesda and 
Corlissa ” 

“ Oh, is it thee, my 
prince!” Bethesda ex- 
claimed. “ How thou didst 
startle us ! Hast slept well .? ” 

“ I slept very soundly and 
sweetly, thank thee. — But 
what is the matter.? It 
looks as if a million gottle bulbs had become unloosed 
and their milk thrown into the atmosphere.” 

Both of the Sea Children laughed softly. “ This is 
the milk fog,” Corlissa answered. “ It will clear away 
in an hour or two.” 

“But what is a milk fog?” Prince Elworth asked. 
“At first I thought I must be growing blind.” 

Bethesda held up a pure crystal sphere as large as a 
nut, which swung from a chain at his belt. “ Look 
through this, toward the light, my prince,” he said. 

H3 



The Sea Children 

Prince Elworth did as directed. 

“ Oh, I see hundreds and thousands of wiggling mites 
in the sea air. Why, they open and shut just like the 
jelly stars, don’t they \ They look just like a tiny pin- 
point of milk. What are they ? Are they alive } ” 

“ We suppose they are alive, for the whales like to 
dash through and through them. They are prohahly 
very, very tiny jelly thimbles,” answered Bethesda. 

Prince Elworth looked at them wonderingly for a 
long time, then, handing the crystal back to Bethesda, 
he said : “ What a wonderful and beautiful world this 
is ! Will its marvels never cease ^ But, oh, Bethesda, 
tell me about thy adventure with the Earth People?” 

“That I will do willingly,” answ^ered Bethesda, 
“ but come outside, my prince, where our voices will 
not disturb the sleepers.” 

The three sat down on the moss just outside the 
entrance. “ Oh, the experience was terrible,” Bethesda 
began; “and, although it happened many centuries 
ago, I cannot recall it even now without shudder- 
ing. One day, while we were in the blue seas far 
beyond what Poulair calls the Pillars of Hercules, we 
stopped at noonday for a rest, and as it was a safe place, 
I climbed to the top of a cliff to take a nap up in the 




The Sea Children 

rarer atmosphere, a habit I had then, but of which I 
have been effectually cured. Well, I forgot to calculate 
on the tide, which rises and falls very much there. 
When I went to sleep the dry air was fully two lengths 
above me, and I had no thought of dan- 
ger. Suddenly the screams of my com- 
panions awakened me, and, as I started 
up, I saw them all rushing, as if in great 
fright, toward me. Then I felt some- 
thing seize me by the belt, and, to my 
inexpressible horror, I saw myself being 
pulled up at the end of a long pole to a 
great galley chariot with many long oars, 
which lay in the water overhead.” 

“ Oh, my poor Bethesda ! what didst 
thou do then ? ” interrupted Prince El- 
worth, excitedly. 

“ I screamed, and kicked, and tried to 
tear myself away, but my gold belt was 
caught on the hook in the end of the 
pole and I could not break away. A dozen hands 
caught me by the arms, and, very much terrified, I 
threw my whole energy into a flash from the mantle, 
intending to shock them to death. The mantle flashed 
perfectly white, but not a dart spread from it in that 
dry air, and as none had touched it they were not hurt. 
In another second, my prince, I was standing between 
two of the Earth People in that awful dry air, gasping 
for breath. They were saying : ‘ It ’s a boy, a fish- 
boy! ’ Think of being called ‘a fish-boy,’ my prince. 

‘ Look at his clothes and jewels, and long hair 1 ’ they 
said, and I felt them pulling my belt, and pearls, and 
coins away. When my eyesight cleared I saw a lot of 
warriors, with clothing of iron and brass and short skirts 
of red leather, and with helmets on their heads. Then 
I heard one of them shout: ‘There are more of them 1 
146 



The Sea Children 

Kill them with the oars and get their jewels ! ’ At this 
I grew desperate, my prince, and fought hard with the 
two who held me, and to my astonishment threw them 
both in a heap, for they seemed quite weak.” 

Prince Elworth was intensely 
excited, and held Bethesda’s soft 
little hand sympathetically in his 
own, as though afraid he might 
even now be snatched away. 

“ I was nearly stifled by this 
time, but sprang upon the rail 
and almost escaped,” continued 
Bethesda. “ Several of the Earth 
People caught me by the shoul- 
ders and pulled me back. I flashed 
the mantle as strongly as my fad- 
ing strength would permit, and 
those whose hands touched it 
screamed and fell back into the boat. I was free, but 
so weak and dazed that I fell where I stood within a 
step of freedom. They let me alone then and tried to 
kill my companions with their oars. Suddenly I saw 
every oar jerked out of their hands, some of the warriors 
falling into the Sea World. Then Corlissa’s steed shot 
up into the air, landing right in the boat with his rider. 
The Earth People seemed very much frightened, and 
shrieked loudly. Corlissa sprang to where I was lying, 
picked me up as quick as the dodge of a mackerel, and 
jumped into the Sea World. I then became unconscious, 
and was ill for many, many days ; but I was told after- 
wards that the Earth People threw the sturgeon over- 
board, for which the Sea Children were so thankful that 
they tied many gifts to the Earth People’s oars and 
returned them.” 

“ Why did not thy sword-fishes beat their galley to 
pieces, my Bethesda.?” 

H7 



The Sea Children 

“ Oh, that was before we had the friendship of the 
sword-fish. Mora did that for us.” 

Prince Elworth arose, and threw his arms around the 
brave Corlissa, saying, “Thou didst a brave thing, my 
brother, and I love thee a thousand times more for it.” 

At this moment Usheen himself appeared, groping 
his way to the entrance. 

“ The day’s greeting, my prince. I thought I heard 
thy voice. What thinkest thou of the fog .? It tempts 
me to keep thee until it clears, but I fear thou hadst 
better go at once. What thinkest thou, Poulair } ” 

“ Oh, we must not wait a minute, my Usheen,” Pou- 
lair answered, as he and Mora joined the group. 

“ Give the signal then, Corlissa,” Usheen commanded. 

Corlissa blew five long sweet notes, and very soon 
voices were heard in reply. 

Usheen sent his officers hurrying away in many direc- 
tions, with orders to have all assemble at the South 
Lookout to bid their brethren farewell. The milk fog 
was now slowly lifting, and more distinct objects were 
beginning to dimly outline themselves. Usheen led the 
way to the staircase leading to the South Lookout, where 
Prince Elworth saw many shadowy forms standing on 
the lofty summit. The whole city had gathered there to 
bid each one of them good-bye. 

As Prince Elworth reached the first landing Muriel 
swam to meet him, and, jumping on her back. Prince 
Elworth rode to the summit. “Good Muriel,” he said, 
patting her, “ I must ride in the chariot this morning. 
Those are Poulair’s orders ; sorry ; ” and again he caressed 
her affectionately, as he dismounted. 

Niam and her four sweet protegees came forward to 
greet him. 

“ Thou must find a way, my cousin, to get to Atlan- 
tea,” Niam said, as Prince Elworth took her hands in 
his. “ I feel confident that thou shalt reach there, but 

148 




if by any chance thou dost not, thou must return to us 
safely,” she said. 

‘‘ Wilt take this, my Niam, in remembrance ? ” and 
Prince Elworth placed in her hand a locket, which he 
opened by touching a spring. 

“ It is Princess Pathania ! ” she exclaimed, holding 
the locket very close so that she could see the pictured 
face. ‘‘ Look, Della,” and she showed it to her little 
black-haired companion. 

‘‘ No, it is thyself, Niam,” Della replied, her large 
round innocent eyes sparkling with interest. Is it not, 
Prince Elworth?” 

“ No, it is neither. It is Leonore, my earth world 
sister,” replied Prince Elworth. 

The mogle shell now sounded, and all pressed closely 
around Prince Elworth and his companions to say 
a last good-bye. There 
were many tears and not a 
little laughter ; but at last 
the farewell kiss and pres- 
sure of hand had been 
given to all, and the pro- 
cession slowly passed over 
the top of the rocks that 
walled the city and sped 
on its way. 

Chaldea’s musicians 
played continually, keep- 
ing with Mora in the van, 
so that those behind found 
no difficulty in following 


The Sea Children 

the sweet sound. Slowly they moved down, down, 
keeping close to the side of the sloping mountain, fear- 
ful of losing sight of its rugged sides lest they lose 
themselves in the fog. 

“ How funny this seems, Poulair,” observed Prince 
Elworth, for the two were again sitting side by side in 
the chariot, “ to see so indistinctly. Supposing some- 
thing should happen ? ” 

At that instant Mora gave a shout, Chaldea’s musicians 
stopped playing and blew loud blasts, while the stur- 
geons shot ahead with such sudden force that Prince 
Elworth was thrown backward against his seat. But 
his alarm was of short duration, for in a heart-beat they 
shot into clear atmosphere, leaving the great white 
cloud hanging above them. Then from far behind and 
above them came answ'ering notes from Usheen’s guard, 
who had awaited this signal. 

Prince Elworth understood at once that they had now 
passed under the milk fog. 

“ I am glad it was not the red fog, for that some- 
times reaches clear to the ground,” Poulair said. “ Now 
we can hasten, for to-morrow night we should reach 
Patua, usually a four days’ journey.” 



The Sea Children 


CHAPTER XIV 

For seas, as well as skies, have sun, moon, stars; 

As well as air, swallows, rooks, and stares. 

As well as earth, vines, roses, nettles, melons. 
Mushrooms, pinks, gilly-flowers, and many millions 
Of other plants more rare, more strange than these 
As very fishes living in the seas. 

Du Bartas, Divine Weeks and Works. 

T he Sea Children were constantly moving south- 
ward, and the atmosphere was growing clearer 
and warmer, and new forms of vegetable and 
animal life were continually appearing. 

Prince Elworth had thought that nothing could sur- 
pass in grandeur, beauty, and strangeness what he had 
already seen while on the journey to Bassynia. But 
now, although told to expect wonderful changes, what 
he actually saw overstepped the wildest reaches of his 
imagination. Animal life appeared in the most varied 
forms, in the most grotesque shapes and wonderful 
organisations. Thousands and thousands of living crea- 
tures swam by, rejoicing in the most marvellous variations 
of light and shade 
and colour, in the most 
fairy-like illumina- 
tions, changing their 
hues every instant. 

It was a region of 
wonderful contrasts. 

A huge blunt-headed, 
dun-coloured, slimy 
creature would be 




seen swimming near a dainty, fairy- 
like angel fish, whose sides flashed 
silver and gold and whose fins were 
of heavenly blue and purple. A 
hideous squid, with its long writh- 
ing, wriggling arms, would pass 
through a school of the lovely ar- 
gonauts, or pearly nautiluses, which 
the Sea Children called baby 
chariots. Many opalescent, beau- 
tiful creatures floated upon the 
surface like flattened soap bubbles, 
from which hung long, purplish 
black hairs, or tentacles rather, that 
stretched and curled themselves 
about in search of food. Woe 
betide the unwary fish that swam 
within their reach, for the sting of 
these creatures meant instant death. 

“ Keep away from those ! They 
are hairy stingers, my prince,” 
Poulair said to him, when first 




they appeared. “ When thou hast 
thy mantle thou needst not fear 
them, but now their purple hair 
would cause thee great pain if thou 
shouldst touch it.” 

“ Oh, my Mollin hast told me 
about them, Poulair, and how they 
paralyse big fishes ! (he calls them 
^ Portuguese men-o’-war ’ ) . See, there 
is a bonito caught by one ! Didst 
see him ,? ” 

“ Yes, my prince ; they can shoot 
those hairy tentacles a full sturgeon’s 
length and stun a bonito at once.” 

“ What a wondrous world ! What 
a beautiful world ! ” Prince Elworth 
exclaimed for the hundredth time, 
and then added after a pause, — 
“ and what a dreadful world also ! ” 

The battle for life raged fiercely. 
Thousands of beautiful blue flying 
fishes pursued 




in terror hither and thither until, 
suddenly, they would shoot up- 
ward right into the Earth World, 
and fly for a long distance like 
birds. Their pursuers would swim 
right under them until those that 
escaped the agile sea-gulls fell 
back, with dried wings, into the 
Sea World. 

Not a moment passed without 
some incident that taught Prince 
Elworth a new lesson regarding life 
in the Sea World. At every stop- 
ping place, he took great pleasure 
in prying about among the stones 
and bushes and trees in search of 
new species of the wonderful plant 
and animal life around him. At 
one place on the shores of some 
island, he came upon a hundred or 
more objects, looking like birds’ 
nests, excepting that they were very 





much deeper and turned so that the 
hole was in the side instead of on 
the top. A great many small fish 
were swimming around the nests. 

“Oh, Poulair ! ” he called, “surely 
here are nests! Come, and let us 
see if there are eggs in them 1 ” 

“ They are the stickle-backs, 
my prince,” answered Poulair; “al- 
most the only fish that build nests, 
and they resent any interference 
with their young.” 

Another source of pleasure and 
wonderment to Prince Elworth was 
the flowers of the Sea World, for he 
soon found that the greater number 
of them were not plants at all, but 
animals. The bright colours were 
there to attract their prey, and the 
waving petals were tentacles to seize 
and hold the victims. Unfortunate 
was the venturesome creature whose 




The Sea Children 

curiosity prompted too close an investigation of this 
waving mass of beauty. Like a flash the long tentacles 
would seize it, and hurry it to the gaping mouth of the 
flower-animal, where it would be slowly eaten up. 
Once Prince Elworth was astonished to see a flower- 
animal actually stretch itself around a victim larger than 
itself, and begin to devour it. Often he would fool 
these queer little animals by touching their petals with 
his finger and allowing the finger to be swallowed, then 
suddenly withdrawing it, watch the queer actions of the 
flower-animal, thus robbed of an 
expected feast. 

This pastime also brought its pun- 
ishment, and taught him a lesson that 
he did not fail to profit by. 

At one of the stopping places Prince Elworth saw, 
attached to a rock, a huge fiery red flower, half as tall 
as himself, and with a mouth forming its centre wide 
enough for him to step into. Mora and Poulair were 
with him, and were just about to point it out as a flower 
to be avoided, when Prince Elworth, with an exclama- 
tion of surprise and pleasure, put forth his hand and 
touched it. Instantly a shock ran through him, numb- 
ing him into insensibility, and he fell forward right 
across the flower itself ; and had it not been for his 
companions, he would never again have seen the light 
of day. 

Poulair and Mora saw him fall, and with cries of 
alarm drew their swords and sprang to his rescue. 
Their quick hard blows soon tore the beautiful anemone 
into bits, and destroyed its power, temporarily. A 
dozen eager hands at once seized Prince Elworth and 
bore him to a bed of soft moss, where he soon recovered 
consciousness ; but it was some little time before he felt 
well enough for the journey to be renewed, and even 
then a cruel dizziness compelled him to ride in the 
chariot instead of upon beautiful Muriel, his loved steed. 

156 



The Sea Children 



‘‘When shall we be in Patua ? ” were the first words 
he asked of Poulair, who sat by his side. 

“To-morrow morning, my prince. Hadst thou not 
have had this unpleasant experience we would have 
arrived there to-night,” Poulair replied. 

“ It is too bad that such beautiful things should be so 
dangerous to Sea Children, Poulair. Have any others 
suffered from them ? ” 

“ Oh, no ! When thou hast the jewel thy power 
will be so great that thou couldst 
make a thousand of them shrivel up in 
a heart-beat, didst thou choose. Even 
now there is power enough left in 
the mantle to protect us from injury 
by them.” 

“ We must get to Atlantea as quickly 
as possible, Poulair. I am becoming quite accustomed 
to the sharks following us, and do not fear them any 
longer. What difference whether they be a dozen or 
a hundred so long as they cannot catch us.?” 

“ Suppose they numbered five thousand and as many 
squids, some of them with arms long enough to reach 
from here to our foremost sturgeon’s nose, and were not 
only behind but all around us. What then ? ” 

“ Ugh ! thou makest me shudder, Poulair. Even 
then we must do something ! Could n’t we make a 
big fort out of one of the earth chariots and have all 
thy steeds draw us, or something of that sort?” Prince 
Elworth asked, semi-seriously. 

Poulair laughed. “They would drag that huge 
bulk so slowly that the sharks would leisurely devour 
them, and the squids would just fasten upon the fort and 
do whatever they chose with it. Then, what would 
we do inside ? Starve to death ? Now would n’t that 
be interesting ? If it were only the sharks we had to 
encounter we could manage them by catering to their 
157 


The Sea Children 


appetite, but the squids, they won’t be fooled so easily — 
Hark ! ” 

“ Hurrah ! the whales ! there are the whales! ” Mora 
shouted. “They are headed for Bassynia! ” 

Away in the distance, as far as one could look, were 
a dozen black spots swimming near the surface. 

“ See them playing ! They are having a great frolic,’’ 
Poulair said. “ They are huge creatures, my prince, oh, 
very large, but they love us, and nearly every Sea Child has 
a pet among them. Dorel, my pet, is in this herd now 
with her baby. Thou shalt see how fond she is of me.” 

The procession moved swiftly toward the whales for 
some little time. Suddenly Mora sat up straight on 
Argo’s back, and shouted excitedly: “THE EARTH 
PEOPLE! THE WHALE HUNTERS ! ! FOR- 
WARD ALL! SPEED!!” 


Poulair sprang to his feet in the chariot, and urged 
his sturgeons forward. Chaldea’s musicians ceased 
playing, and blew the whale call, which the whales had 
been taught to respond to, upon their mogle shells. 

“ See, my prince,” Poulair said, as soon as he could 
compose himself sufficiently; “that is an earth chariot 
over there, and those two small spots above our whales 
are small lance chariots. Oh, why don’t they respond 
at once to the call ! But they won’t ! They won’t ! ” 
Poulair almost wailed. “ See, they are going up to 
breathe ! Dorel ! Dorel ! ! Oh, come 
here, Dorel ! ! ! ” Poulair shouted 
despairingly, leaning far out over the 
chariot in his excitement. 

Just as two of the 
whales reached the Earth 
World they gave great 
leaps, lashed their tails 
about furiously, and dove 
straight down into the 



The Sea Children 

Sea World, dragging ropes behind them, which ex- 
tended clear to the lance chariots above. 

“ They have lanced my Dorel ! ” Poulair cried in 
anguish. “ They have lanced my Dorel ! my poor 
Dorel ! ” 

Like a flash he loosed the ribbons that bound the 
forward pair of king sturgeons to the chariot, and, call- 
ing one of them, quickly sprang upon his back, and 
shot ahead of all the racing steeds, as though they were 
snails. Prince Elworth, forgetting all else in his excite- 
ment, jumped upon the other sturgeon’s back and 
followed Poulaif, heedless of Mora’s warning cries, heed- 
less of everything save his desire to be near Poulair, and 
possibly to help him free his pet. The two sturgeons 
seemed to feel the anxiety of their masters, for they cut 
the water with the speed of arrows freshly loosed from 
bowstrings. 

Prince Elworth, leaning well forward and holding to 
the beak of his saddle, saw the two terrified whales 
plunge up and down and up, again and again, maddened 
by the pain of the cruel lances in their sensitive flesh. 
As he drew nearer their terror increased, and they turned 
and twisted and thrashed the water with their enormous 
fins and tails, churning the sea into foam, and some- 
times hurling their ponderous tons of shining flesh clear 
out of the Sea World, and returning to it with the sound 
like that of a mountain falling into 
the ocean. 

“ Dorel ! Dorel ! ” Poulair cried, 
as he sped up close to the wounded 
whales. “ Dorel, Pou- 
lair comes ! ” At the 
sound of his well- 
known voice both 
whales, whirling sud- 
denly about, dashed 





The Sea Children I 

toward Prince Elworth and ■! 
Poulair, towing the lance j! 
chariots after them, leaping l| 
and bounding over the wave S 
tops. Wide streaks of red 
stained the azure of the sea 
sky behind them, and aroused in 
Prince Elworth feelings of such in- 
dignation against the Earth People 
who caused this cruel suffering, ■ 
that, for a minute, he hoped the 
rapidly following sword-fish would . 
beat the chariot to splinters. 

“ Cut Cipulet loose ! Leave : 
Dorel to me ! ” Poulair shouted to 9 
Prince Elworth, making ready his H 
sword, as with a rush the great 
creatures were upon them. I 

“ Sping — ” went the lance rope, severed by a blow^ ■ 
from Prince Elworth’s sword, as Cipulet plunged by. 

Poulair was not so fortunate. He missed the rope, 
and Dorel sped on, with the painful burden still dragging 9 
at her flesh, and her babe following in pitiful confusion, fl 
Cipulet, feeling the strain of the lance rope suddenly 9 
released, turned and hurled herself directly at the lance 9 
chariot to which Dorel was bound. When she struck fl 
the boat, for a full ten heart-beats neither whale nor 9 
chariot was seen, for so great was her momentum that A 
she was thrown clear out of the Sea World, knocking 9 
the chariot high in the air. Then, with a sound like a 9 
thunder-clap, Cipulet appeared, diving head first straight 9 
down through the water, and the top of the Sea World -9 
was spotted with the struggling Earth People and the 9 
fragments of their broken chariot. For a full hundred 9 
fathoms Cipulet plunged in her fright, then turned and shot 9 
away, as if for protection, toward the other Sea Children. 9 



“THE TOP OF THE SEA WORLD 
WAS SPOTTED WITH THE STRUGGLING EARTH PEOPLE AND 
THE FRAGMENTS OF THEIR BROKEN CHARIOT’* 




The Sea Children 

Dorel, relieved from her painful burden by this act 
of Cipulet’s wrath, dived deep, almost into the crimson 
and green of the forest below, swiftly followed by 
Poulair and Prince Elworth. 

“ Dorel ! Dorel ! Dorel ! ! ” Poulair called to her, as 
he sped downward. 

At last Dorel heard his voice, turned, and swam slowly 
toward him. 

In a moment Poulair was by her side. ^*There, there, 
Dorel ! ” he said, stroking her reassuringly. ‘‘ Poulair 
will take care of thee. Why quiverest thou so ? Thou 
art all safe now, Dorel. The danger is over. And see, 
here is a new Sea Child whom thou hast not seen be- 
fore, our new prince ; and he will help Poulair take the j 
lance out — is not that an honour for thee ? Then be 
worthy of it, my Dorel,” and Poulair and Prince El- 
worth dismounted on Dorel’s back. 

“We must hurry and get this lance out, my prince,” 
Poulair said, “ for Dorel will need to breathe soon, and 
we must have her far from the lance chariot when she 
rises.” 

They twisted and tugged and pulled with all their 



I 


The Sea Children 

Strength, the trembling mountain of flesh beneath them 
weaving back and forth in its agony, threatening them 
frequently with being thrown from their feet ; but at last 
it came out with a jerk. 

“ Keep it. Prince Elworth. We can make use of it. 
Now let us away quickly.” Then, jumping upon his 
steed, Poulair called, “ Come, Dorel, follow,” and away 
they all sped toward the now distant herd and the 
Sea Children. 

They had gone but a short distance when Poulair 
suddenly jumped violently in his saddle and shouted 
excitedly : “ Mora ! Mora ! the threshers and wild 
swords ! Swim, swim for your life, Dorel ! ” 

“We come, Poulair, we come ! ” Mora called from 
the distance. 

Prince Elworth, very much startled, looked down, 
and saw a score or more of monsters darting toward 
them from the gorge far below. Some of them were 
sword-fish with huge, fan-like dorsal fins. The others 
were strange to him, but he could see that they had 
enormous tails, tails as long as their bodies. “ What 
fearest thou, Poulair ? What are they ? Can we not 
fight them?” he asked, drawing his sword. 

“No, no! not alone. Come away until help 
arrives. Poor Dorel ! Look ! She sees them ! ” 
Indeed Dorel did see them, for with a 


The Sea Children 


great slap of her mighty tail she plunged upward, and 
half blinded with fear wheeled in circles in search of 
her babe, which followed as best it could. 

“ Mora ! Armeda ! Khardi ! hurry ! ” Poulair shouted. 
“ Now, my prince, follow me, I command thee. Do 
not join in the rescue, no matter what happens. A shark 
is nothing compared to a wild sword-fish. Be quick ! 
here comes Mora to the rescue ! ” 

Turning, Prince Elworth beheld Mora swooping to- 
ward them like a brilliant meteor; his gold coins fairly 
blazed in the sunlight ; and, 
like the silvery trail of a 
meteor, his mantle glowed 
white behind him, and was 
continued in the mantles of 
the whole sword-fish guard 
which followed. 

In spite of the seriousness 
of his position, in spite of the danger to Muriel, Prince 
Elworth could not repress the thought, ‘‘ Surely, the 
power of the jewel will last until we reach Atlantea; ” 
then as the fiery streak shot passed him, he shouted, 
“Hurry! Hurry! Mora, the threshers will get there 
before thee ! ” 

“ Aye, aye ! ” called back Mora. Then Prince El- 
worth, following Poulair’s example, wheeled about and 
waited for the coming struggle with breathless anxiety. 
So intense was his excitement that he could hear his 
heart thump aloud in his bosom, — one — two - — three 
— four — five, — Dorel reaches the Earth World, the 
enemy close to her tail-flukes, — six — seven — eight — 
nine — TEN — Oh, horrors ! Dorel leaps up into the 
Earth World, a dozen sword-fishes hanging from her 
bleeding flesh. 

Swack — ssh — ss — back she comes, head first into 
the Sea World. 





164 


The Sea Children 

Prince Elworth covered his eyes to shut out the pain- 
ful sight. He meant to keep them covered. He did 
not wish to see; but Mora’s silvery cry, ‘‘Close order, 
CHARGE ! ” brought his hands away with a snap, and 
again he watched as Mora and his warriors ploughed 
a path through the wild swords almost to Dorel’s side. 
Then he saw the threshers leap up into the Earth World, 
— then heard them land, 
whack, swack, slap, — 
not in the Sea World 
again, but upon poor 
Dorel’s back. 

“ They are lashing 
her poor life out, Pou- 
lair,” he cried in agony. 

In and out of the 
Earth World the threshers 
leaped, and at each leap their 
powerful tails beat upon poor 
Dorel’s flesh with a noise like 
the cracking together of great 
rocks. At every blow Prince 
Elworth could see great quivering waves of flesh pass 
over her huge form from jaw tips to tail-flukes. 

“ Kill ! kill ! ” he heard Mora cry. “ Catch them! ” 
and into the Sea World the threshers slipped; into the 
Sea World and upon the lance points of the waiting Sea 
Children. Then as the blood cloud blurred the scene to 
Prince Elworth for a moment, he cried : “ Bravo ! 
Bravo, Mora I Half of them will never leap again. 
Have courage, Dorel ; Mora will save thee.” 

Dorel heard him not. She seemed stunned, — she 
plunged no more, — she even ceased to struggle. Her 
great arm-flukes hung limply at her side, and suddenly 
her tongue, a mountain in itself, rolled from under the 

165 



The Sea Children 



plates of horny bone, and dropped with a jerk over her 
lower jaw. “Too late! too late ! she is dead, Poulair,” 
Prince Elworth said in a tone of anguish. 

“No! no ! she is but stunned. If she were dead she 
would turn upon her hack. They will save her. See 

how her babe clings to 
Argo ; they have been 
playmates. See, our 
brethren have surrounded 
her ! Now watch the next 
charge of the wild swords, 
— at her tongue, prince; 
her tongue is a dainty 
morsel for them ; there 
they go. Idiots, thou art 
no match for Eleesor’s 
eight. Hurrah, didst see 
that, my prince .? Come 
closer.” 

Both drew nearer to 
the battle. Prince El- 
worth was greatly excited ; 
he could not keep quiet. 
H is hands gripped and 
ungripped themselves 
fiercely, upon the harpoon he 
still held, and he cheered and 
shouted his encouragement whenever 
a particularly good blow was dealt or a 
brave deed done ; and they were many. 

“Ah, there goes a thresher ! ” Prince Elworth shouted 
triumphantly. “See! the rest are following. He has 
had enough of the fight. Victory ! Victory! ” 

“Not yet, — but soon,” Poulair returned. 

True, the battle was not ended yet. The cowardly 
threshers had had all the fight they wanted, and were 


The Sea Children 

fleeing; but the more pugnacious wild swords still re- 
mained. Terribly punished, they still charged fiercely, 
their great black fins stiff with rage, until the last one of 
them had been killed or rendered helpless. The battle 
was over, and the victorious Sea Children gave a great 
shout of triumph, then turned to Dorel. 

Prince Elworth and Poulair now approached the 
scene of the conflict. 

That was a great 
fight, Poulair!” Prince 
Elworth cried enthusi- 
astically ; “ with such 
fighting as that I have 
no fear that we will not 
reach Atlantea.” 

One of Mora’s war- 
riors now drew near and 
held up his hand. 

*‘Oh, thou art 
wounded, Detrius!” 

Poulair said, sympathet- 
ically. “ Let me fix it 

for thee;” and taking from his girdle a beautiful little 
flask of gold, he poured out a few drops of a heavy 
ointment on the wound. The blood stopped flowing at 
once, and the pain went away. “ There, thou shalt be 
well in an hour. Now let us hasten to poor Dorel and 
Cipulet ; ” and, kissing his hand to the wounded warrior, 
Poulair and Prince Elworth hurried to where Dorel 
was now feebly swimming. 

“We will leave her to thee, Poulair,” Mora called as 
they approached ; then he dashed away with the other 
Sea Children after the excited herd of whales. 

In the meantime Poulair and Prince Elworth had 
overtaken Dorel, and, coaxing her to descend until she 
rested upon the ground, Poulair darted swiftly to the 

167 



The Sea Children 


chariot, saying, “Stay where thou art! Poulair will 
heal thy wounds.” He returned with a gottle bulb full 
of the precious healing ointment, and applied it freely 
to each of Dorel’s wounds, talking to her reassuringly 
all the while. Wherever the wonderful oily fluid was 
applied the blood stopped flowing, and the flesh began 
to heal so rapidly that before Poulair had anointed a 
wound near Dorel’s tail-flukes, those at her head had 
quite closed together. 

While Poulair was thus engaged in attending to his 
huge pet Prince Elworth swam his sturgeon about her, 
marvelling at her enormous proportions. “What a 
huge giant she is, my Poulair 1 ” he said. “ It seems 
strange that she should notice such little things as you 
and I, does it not ? Mollin used to tell me about 
whales, but I had no idea they were such mountains.” 
So saying he dismounted upon a coral ball near her 
mouth, from the upper jaw of which hung a huge 
fringe of stiff horny plates, spreading out on either side 
of her huge tongue. “What are these bristles for, 
Poulair?” he asked. 

“To catch and retain her food, my prince. Those 
are her teeth, or rather they answer for teeth. Didst 
thou notice the large ivory teeth in the bumper 
whale ? ” 

“Yes, Poulair; and I was just thinking of the large 
upper jaw and small lower 



one of the bumper whale, 
and thinking that Dorel 
looked something like a 
bumper whale turned upside 
down, for her upper jaw is 
like the bumper’s lower one 
with a fringe instead of 
those awful teeth, and her 
lower jaw is quite like the 



bumper’s upper one, save for that big blunt part of it. 
But tell me, Poulair, how can this fringe hold fishes of 
any size? I should think that even a herring could 
squirm out of it.” 

‘‘ It could, and if it did not Dorel would eject it. 
Dost thou not know that if a herring should get into 
Dorel’s throat she would choke ? ” 

“ No. The Earth People tell a story about a whale 
swallowing a man named Jonah. Then that cannot be 
true ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, that is a very old, old story; ” and Poulair 
laughed. “It was told to me when I was an Earth 
Child, and all new Sea Children ask the same question. 
No, it was not one of our whales that swallowed Jonah. 
It was one of those bumper whales, cachelots, with the 
blunt heads and ugly bumps on their backs. They 
could swallow a man, or four of them, easily. Think 
of one of our gentle whales swallowing a man ! ” and 
Poulair stroked Dorel’s side, smiling at the absurdity 
of the thought. 

“ Then what do whales eat, Poulair ? ” 

“ They eat those little jelly thimbles, thousands and 
thousands at a time. They plunge through and through 
clouds of them, until they liave had enough or until 
there are no more to eat. — There, my Dorel, thou shalt 
soon be well ; have patience.” 

169 


The Sea Children 

‘‘ Why are whales’ tail fins horizontal instead of ver- 
tical ? ” Prince Elworth asked, as he again mounted his 
sturgeon. 

“ So they can steer up and down better. They de- 
pend upon them to bring their huge bulk to the 
surface when they wish to breathe. Thou wilt notice 
that all whales, and porpoises, and dolphins, bend up 
and down as they swim so they can reach the air of 
the Earth World more easily, and all fishes bend side- 
ways. So the fishes have vertical fins and the whales 
horizontal ones to meet their needs. There, Dorel ; 
thou art all right now!” Poulair said, patting her, 
and then he added : “ See, thy 
babe is playing with Argo. Art 
thou not proud of her? Only 
a babe, Dorel, yet she is as large 
as our giant Argo. And we are 
proud of thee, Dorel, for trying to defend her from the 
wild swords. Oh, dost thou wish to breathe the dry 
air?” he asked, as Dorel’s mighty bulk began to sway 
gently. “Well, thou canst. Up thou goest 1 ” 

By this time the whole herd had been rounded up 
and were under the control of the Sea Children. 

“ Cipulet and several of our sword-fish need thee, 
Poulair,” Mora called. 

Poulair procured another gottle bulb of ointment 
from the chariot, for he had used a whole one upon 
Dorel, and hastened to join Mora and his brave 
warriors. 

Prince Elworth rode directly up to Mora, and grasp- 
ing his hand said : “ That was a great fight, brave 
Mora; thou and thy gallant warriors have won a splen- 
did victory. But, art thou all safe ? ” 

“ Not a Sea Child hurt seriously,” answered Mora, 
“ and the wounds of our sword-fish are not dangerous. 
Poulair’s ointment will soon heal them. Yes, it was a 

170 



The Sea Children 

great fight ; but we Sea Children love not fighting. 
The flow of blood softens our hearts and we always feel 
the wounds of our enemies. Alas, that fellow-creatures 
should need to slay each other ! And yet, sometimes, 
we must kill or be killed, my prince.” 

Poulair was now 
rubbing the wonderful 
ointment over the hurts 
of Cipulet, near by. 

As he applied the 
healing balm. 

Prince Elworth 
heard him say : 

“ Thou hast forgot- 
ten thy experience 
of a hundred years 
ago, my Cipulet.? 

Thou shouldst have 
known better.” 

“ Is Cipulet a 
hundred years old .? ” 

Prince Elworth called to 
him in astonishment. 

“Yes, indeed, my 
prince,” answered Poulair. “ She is more than a min- 
dred. Let me see, — she was a babe when Princess 
Pathania came, so she is over two hundred years old. 
They live for a long time. Does that astonish thee .? ” 

“ Oh, no. Astonishment is not a possible condition 
for me now. I have reached its limit long ago. I 
believe if thou wert to tell me that fire was possible in 
the Sea World I would not be astonished. I would 
only look up and say, ‘ really ! ’ ” Prince Elworth replied, 
laughing. 

“ Well, my prince, fire is possible, and thou shalt see 
it, and soon too,” Poulair answered earnestly. 

171 



The Sea Children 

“ Really ? ” Prince Elworth asked in mock astonish- 
ment. 

Both laughed heartily at the early fulfilment of Prince 
Elworth’s prophecy, and just then Leora approached and 
asked: How likest thou our cows, my prince?” 

‘‘ I will tell thee better when thou hast given me 
the pleasure of seeing them, Leora,” Prince Elworth 
answered. 

“Why, thou hast seen them. Here they are. These 
are our cows,” Leora said, sweeping his hand around to 
include the whole herd of whales. 

“Thy cows! What, — art thou not joking?” 

“ why, no,” Poulair said. “ Did I forget to tell 
thee that, my prince ? They are our cows. Each one 
of them can give a thousand gottle bulbs of milk and 
not miss it.” 

Prince Elworth was silent for full three heart-beats, 
then looking up he said, “Really?” as though it were- 
quite a commonplace thing to have a herd of whales 
for cows. 


CHAPTER XV 

Patua the Wonderful Coral City 

P ATUA 1 Patua 1 ” shouted a dozen voices, as the 
procession rounded a mountain, and now, far 
away in the distance, at the end of the valley, 
what appeared to be a white spot glistened in the soft 
sunlight of the Sea World, and the granite upon which 
it rested reached down, down into the deep Sea World, 
until even the outlines of the great mass were lost in 
the mysterious darkness below. 

172 


The Sea Children 

Chaldea’s moglers blew seven long blasts upon their 
mogle shells; and hardly had the sound of the last note 
died away when seven answering calls were heard faintly 
from up the valley. 

“ Thou shalt see our beautiful white city soon, my 
prince,” Poulair observed. “And then, to-morrow — ” 
Poulair paused, as though lost in meditation. 

“To-morrow, what then?” Prince Elworth asked. 

“Why, to-morrow we — Well, perhaps we had bet- 
ter leave to-morrow’s troubles until to-morrow comes,” 
Poulair said, pensively. 

Then, in a gayer mood, 
he added: “To-day all 
is bright and joyful ! 

To-day we shall be in 
Patua and Illwa, shall 
be with Taddeus and 
Corinn! Hail! Hail! 

Patua ! ” 

On toward the dis- 
tant city the Sea Chil- 
dren sped swiftly ; and 
gradually, as they came 
nearer, its outline became more distinct, and soon its 
features were discernible to the eager eyes of Prince 
Elworth. 

The white walls, rising in the form of a truncated 
cone from their foundation of grey rock, were sur- 
mounted by four architectural piles symmetrically placed. 
Then, between these, a long white needle reared itself 
high above the city walls. Outside of the city, at the 
base of the walls, was what appeared to be a white 
forest regularly laid out like a park, with steps from the 
crest of the city walls disappearing among its motionless 
branches. This forest extended to the very brink of 
the cliff, and was fringed around its borders by a hedge 
173 



The Sea Children 

of pink, with openings here and there for little balconies 
which overhung the mysterious depths below. 

“What are those four white structures on the walls, 
Poulair?” Prince Elworth asked. 

“ Those are the lookouts, north, south, east, and 
west,” Poulair answered. “ Dost thou see between that 

long slender needle of white, 
reaching up toward the 
Earth World, and the 
north lookout many 
moving specks.?” 

“ Yes, Poulair. Are 
they our brethren .? ” 
“Yes. They are 
Taddeus and the chil- 
dren of Patua. Chaldea, 
sound the salute to 
Taddeus.” 

Chaldea’s moglers sounded 
three — five — three. 

Then came from the distance 
seven — seven — seven. 

“ Oh, that is for thee ! ” Poulair exclaimed. 

Five — five — seven, sounded the moglers again. 

“ Five, five, seven is my call, my prince. Listen.” 
Three — three — seven. 

“That is for Mora.” 

Two — two — seven. 

“ That is for Chaldea.” 

The salutes continued until they were so close that 
the glad shouts of those on the walls could be heard. 

“ See, that is Taddeus : he that is waving the orange 
drapery. He is very fond of anything orange-coloured, 
my prince.” 

“What a beautiful city, Poulair!” Prince Elworth 
exclaimed. “ How wonderfully white and clean ! What 

174 




The Sea Children 

a beautiful white garden there is around it! And 

Prince Elworth happened to look down over the side 
of the chariot. “Oh, Poulair, where is the ground?” 

“ Down there, my prince, a league or two. Thou 
art now in the deep Sea World.” 

Instinctively Prince Elworth gripped the side of the 
chariot, saying: 

“ Poulair, I am 
still fearful of 
falling when I 
look down into 
such great 
depths. The 
earth-born feel- 
ing of dread, 
when looking down 
from a great height 
has not yet quite 
worn away.” 

Poulair smiled. 

“Nature has been 
very kind to us and 
shielded us from many Earth World dangers,” he re- 
plied. “ Falling in the heavier atmosphere of the Sea 
World is like flying in the Earth World. But thou 
shalt soon know what falling is in the Sea World, my 
prince.” 

Prince Elworth was about to continue his inquiries 
when a beautiful strain of music flooded the sea atmos- 
phere, and again attracted his attention to the wonderful 
city. He could see the players distinctly, standing in a 
semicircle in the midst of the entire population of the 
city, all assembled in the plaza of the north lookout to 
greet him and his companions. 

The procession swept gracefully on, over the white 
gardens which surrounded the city, and, at its near 
175 



The Sea Children 



approach, Taddeus shouted : Hail ! hail ! hail to the 
prince! Seven cheers for the prince! ” 

They were given with a gladness and vigour that left 
no doubt in the mind of Prince Elworth of the warmth 

of his welcome ; and 
he waved his hand and 
shouted a joyful 
response. 

Even before the 
glad salutations had 
ceased, the chariot 
passed the gardens and 
swept upward over 
the city walls. A 
moment later and 
they had settled slowly 
and gracefully upon 
the plaza in the midst 
of the shouting Sea 
Children. 

Then all was silent. 
The children of 
Patua stood waiting ex- 
pectantly the pleasure 
of embracing their 
new prince and his 
companions. Prince 
Elworth could see in 
their faces the joy of 
relieved anxiety concerning him ; could feel that for 
them had come the moment for which they had waited, 
with an ever increasing anxiety, for years ; years in 
which the power of the jewel grew less and less, until 
the fear of forever losing its protection had become the 
one great dread of their lives. But now that he had 
actually come their joy was evident in their every action 


TADDEUS 


176 


The Sea Children 

and movement. They made a beautiful picture as they 
stood in the bright sunlight, adorned with glittering 
jewels and coins and ornaments in profusion, which 
threw back flashes of blue and gold and white and pink 
in dazzling rays. Beautiful sea mosses were intertwined 
in the strands of their hair, and their clothing shimmered 
with opalescent shells and pearls. 

Among all this radiance one spot 
of brilliant orange colour stood 
out prominently in the draperies 
which the ruler, Taddeus, wore. 

The moment the chariot 
touched the plaza, this beautiful 
Sea Child sprang forward. He 
was a vivacious, bright-eyed Sea 
Child, with long, silvery-yellow hair 
(an unusual colour in Sea Children, for 
most of them had dark hair), and as 
sweet and winning in his disposition 
as he was beautiful in appearance. 

‘‘Welcome to Patua, my prince!” he exclaimed, 
embracing Prince Elworth affectionately ; and then, 
after greeting Poulair in a similar manner, he turned to 
his brethren and added : “ Children of Patua, thy prince. 
Let him feel thy welcome.” 

One by one his new found brethren greeted him 
warmly and eagerly, asking him many questions, and 
offering him many gifts. As all were eager to hear of 
the journey, they gathered in a circle, and Chaldea nar- 
rated its events in such an interesting manner (Chaldea 
could tell a story wonderfully well) that he was asked to 
tell parts of it over and over again in the hope of glean- 
ing some detail he had formerly omitted. Finally 
Chaldea said laughingly: “I can tell thee no more, for 
all that really happened I have told to thee. If thou 
wishest I can invent some more incidents, — shall I?” 



The Sea Children 



Then laughingly they all made their way down the 
great staircase from the plaza of the north lookout into 
the city below, where a great 
surprise awaited Prince Elworth. 
He was telling his companions 
how beautiful he thought their 
city, how wonderful was the 
Sea World, when, suddenly, he 
started and exclaimed : “ My 

dream ! There is the golden 
ewer of my dream ! ” 

“ What meaneth my prince ? ” 
Poulair asked. 

“Why, I dreamed twice about 
a golden ewer like that one, and 
a golden dolphin hung from it, 
and it was covered all over with 
— what dost thou call them ? — 
marks that mean something. 
Oh, yes ; hieroglyphics ! And 
there is the ewer, and the dol- 
phin, and the hieroglyphics, and 
now I remember there were tri- 
dents on it like those, and it hung 
from an archway just as this 
one does ! Did I not tell thee 
about the dream, Poulair.?” 

“ No, indeed, my prince. How 
peculiar thou shouldst dream of 
it, and stranger still that thou 
shouldst dream of it twice, and 
then find it here, exactly as 
it appeared to thee in the 
dream ! ” 

“ Oh, it is easy to account for 
his having dreamed of it the 


178 


The Sea Children 

second time, after he had dreamed of it the first,” Leora 
remarked. 

“ Account for it then, Leora,” Taddeus sweetly 
demanded. 

‘‘That is not difficult, because there are two of them 
just alike, and Prince Elworth did not wish to show 
any partiality, and so he dreamed of the two,” Leora 
answered, smiling. 

“ Oh, so there are ! ” Mora exclaimed, laughing. 
“ Leora, thou art a true reader of dreams, for in Atlantea 
there is another ewer just like this one. Henceforth 
thou shouldst be called Leora the Prophet.” 

“ Where did they come from ? ” Prince Elworth 
asked, looking at the golden thing with much interest. 

“ Oh, we got them many centuries ago, from a temple 
built in honour of Neptune, the sea god, near Cyprus ; 
and, as they were very beautiful, we hung them here 
and in Atlantea,” Taddeus answered. 

“Are they empty?” Prince Elworth asked, for he 
could not see the top. 

“There must be something in them, for they are 
very heavy, and the lids are sealed up tightly,” replied 
Taddeus. 

“Would it not be wise to look inside?” Prince El- 
worth asked. 

“Yes, thou art right. Let us do so. Strange no one 
here has thought of doing this 
before. Perhaps it was because 
they were sealed so solidly,” 

Taddeus said. 

“ But let us eat first,” Pou- 
lair demurred, smiling. “ I 
confess that I am very hungry;” 
and he took a bunch of de- 
licious deals from a great Nep- 
tune cup, a dozen of which, 



The Sea Children 



with as many coral cups filled to the brim with deals 
and sea mosses, grew between the various openings from 
the city into the halls under the city’s walls. 

“How curious these are! What are they?” Prince 
Elworth asked, also taking a bunch and eating of its 
berries. 

“ These are Neptune’s cups, a kind of hard sea sponge 
which we place here to hold good things to eat. There 
are some of coral also. See how wonderfully they are 
constructed,” Taddeus explained. 

They now entered a great hall where a bountiful 
breakfast was spread, and a pleasant hour was spent in 
partaking of it. Prince Elworth enjoyed it all very 
much, and had delightful little talks with his new 
friends ; but there were so many of them that it troubled 

him to remember 
their names. 

“I cannot recall all 
thy names, so if I 
forget some thou wilt 
pardon me,” he said 
apologetically, as he 
tried in vain to think 
of the name of a sweet, 
auburn-haired little 
girl Sea Child who 
presented him with a 
delicacy from her own 
garden. 

After a while, miss- 
ing Poulair and Mora, 
he asked for them. 

“ Oh, they have 
gone to study our 
plans for to-morrow. 
Thou art to stay here 


The Sea Children 

to-day. Wouldst like to see our city now, my prince 
said Taddeus. 

“Yes, indeed; for I have been longing to see the 
wonders of this beautiful city — and to open that ewer,” 
he added, after a pause. 

“ Then come with me. Prince Elworth. First thou 
shalt see the city and its wonders, and afterward thou 
shalt open the golden ewer ; ” and Taddeus led the way 
into a series of long halls, filled with the wonders of 
many regions. 

Twelve of the Sea Children accompanied Taddeus 
and Prince Elworth, while the others hurrjed away to 
perform the various duties required of them : some to 
gather fresh mosses in the gardens, others to care for 
the utensils used in the dining halls, still others to their 
posts in the lookout towers, while a few sprang on the 
backs of sturgeons and rode to various parts of the cup- 
like city, carrying objects that resembled brooms, the 
use of which Prince Elworth soon discovered. Indeed, 
there was not a Sea Child but what had his appointed 
duty to perform. 

Through the great halls under the walls of the city 
Prince Elworth walked with Taddeus and his com- 
panions, greatly interested in the many beautiful, curious, 
or marvellous things 
he found there. 

“ Why, thou hast 
a veritable museum, 
my Taddeus ! ” he ex- 
claimed, as they en- 
tered a hall which was 
devoted entirely to 
pottery, ancient glass, 
and other similar 
relics of the Earth 
World found in the 



The Sea Children 

Sea World. In another hall were bronzes, and objects 
in silver and gold, tankards, ewers, and vases ; another 
room held a wonderful collection of coins, jewels, and 
ornaments for adornment; and in still another hung 
swords and lances, and parts of brass and steel armour. 

In this pleasant occupation the time passed very 
quickly, and when at last Prince Elworth and his com- 
panions ascended the steps again to the plaza it was an 

hour after high noon. 

When they reached 
the plaza Taddeus 
turned to Prince El- 
worth and asked: 
‘‘ What thinkest thou 
of Patua r 

“Beautiful, my 
Taddeus ! Like Bas- 
synia it is cup-shaped, but it is dazzling white, while 
Bassynia is grey, all grey rock. Tell me, my Taddeus, 
how thou hast builded such a wonderful city. It must 
have taken a great deal of work.” 

“Oh, no; very little indeed. The little coral mites 
made it all for us. See, they are right here on the wall ! 
If thou lookest closely thou canst see them at work, soft 
little things like the anemones, stretching out their thin 
feelers for food. Gradually a skeleton of lime forms 
inside of them, then when they die the lime remains, 
and their jelly-like bodies wash away. Then other 
mites settle there and do likewise, so that in centuries 
great progress is made by all these little workers,” 
Taddeus explained. 

“ But, my Taddeus, they certainly do not build just 
as thou wishest them to build, do they ? ” asked the 
prince. 

“ Oh, yes, they do. That is very simple. Where we 
wish them to build we let them live, and where we wish 



The Sea Children 

no building done we brush them off every morning, or 
plant mosses upon which they will not fasten. See, 
under thy feet, this whole promenade that runs all about 
the city is covered with white, and the gardens in the 
city below are mossed with green, and no coral mites 
settle there. The openings in the lookout towers, and 
all those arches leading to the halls, and all the places 
where we do not wish the coral to grow, are brushed 
gently every day. That 
is the work of the Sea 
Children whom thou 
didst see with the 
brooms. So thou 
seest, my prince, build- 
ing with us is a very 
simple matter.” 

“ Hast thou builded 
the monument that way also ? ” he asked, referring to 
the needle of white coral which raivSed itself from the 
centre of the city. 

“No; that is built by another coral mite, which 
builds only cylindrical columns. Thou canst see many 
columns on the mountain sides, but none so high as this 
one, nor so regular in shape. We have of course trained 
the growth of this to keep it as even as possible.” 

“ It is all very wonderful, very beautiful, my Taddeus, 
as I have said to Poulair no less than a thousand times 
since I became a Sea Child. To think of these little 
things, so small one can hardly see them, building this 
beautiful city ! If thou hadst not stopped the growth 
beyond the walls’ crest I presume some day they would 
have builded right up into the Earth World and made 
a circular island. Did the Sea Children plan the growth 
in a circle, Taddeus } ” 

“ Oh, no. This kind of a coral mite always builds 
in a circle. Thou canst see many like this that have 

183 



The Sea Children 

reached the Earth World, where earth 
has settled upon them, and trees have 
grown, until they have become islands 
where Earth People live. From some 
of these coral islands the Earth People 
dive into the Sea World for pearls, or 
fish into it for their food. When thou 
hast time thou wouldst find it interest- 
ing to have Chaldea tell thee about the 
corals. He knows a great deal about 
them. Then there are coral mites that 
build walls right along in a straight 
line for leagues and leagues, and those 
that build trees and bushes, and — but we 
shall descend into the coral garden soon, 
and then thou shalt see for thyself.” 

“ I am sure there is nothing so mar- 
vellous and beautiful as all this in the 
Earth World, and it now seems very 
strange to me that all beings do not live 
in the water instead of being forced, as 
so many are, to breathe the dry air, and 
to live on the hot dusty land,” Prince 
Elworth answered. Then he asked, for 
he was still anxious about the journey : 

How long will it take us to reach 
Atlantea, Taddeus?” 

It is but three hours away, just on 
the other side of those mountains.” 

“ What ! so near as that .? ” 

‘‘Yes, my prince, so near, but alas so 
far. Thou knowest not what there is 
to pass before thou canst reach there. 
By the way, seest thou that dark spot 
in the face of that grey precipice on the 
second mountain ? ” 

1 84 







The Sea Children 


“ Yes ; what is it ? ” 

“That is the home of the king of the squids. Be- 
yond there they are thick, but one rarely ventures closer 
to us than that cave.” 

“ If we should go there and kill the king of the 
squids would it not simplify our difficulty ” 

“ I fear not. They would choose another king at once.” 

“ I should like to 
meet just one large 
squid before we have 
to fight them, and 
kill him, for the ex- 
perience. It might 
be a valuable lesson 
to me. Dost thou 
think we can find one, 
Taddeus, prowling around alone .? ” 
“Yes, but they are very hard to 
capture; but we might catch a 
medium-sized one if thou wouldst 
like to experiment upon him.” 

“ Indeed, I should like to.” 
Taddeus smiled and said: “We 
have a treat in store for thee this 
\ afternoon, my prince, and we had 
better be about it soon, for it will 
take some hours, and we must be back again at dark.” 

“ A treat for me ! What is it ? ” 

“ Thou shalt soon see. H ere are the steps to the 
coral gardens. Let us descend and wait there for Pou- 
lair and thy escort. They are to go also. Oh, it is 
great fun ! ” Then turning to a bright little fellow, 
who was endeavouring to harness a huge tortoise, Tad- 
deus said : “ Pervear, wilt thou ask Poulair and Mora 
and guard to meet us in the South Garden, if they wish 
to jump with us to Illwa } ” 



The Sea Children 


Pervear kissed his hand to Taddeus and ran off to do 
as he was asked. 

Taddeus now led the way down the outer steps into 
the South Garden. Prince Elworth was enthusiastic in 
his expressions of pleasure and admiration at the many 
beautiful and wonderful 
sights each step down 
brought to view. When 
the bottom was reached 
he stopped, involuntarily, 
and looked around. 

“Oh, how exquisite! 

How beautiful 1 ” he ex- 
claimed for the hundredth 
time. “ I never knew there 
was such a great variety 
of corals. It is a verit- 
able white forest, with 
just an occasional blush 
of pink and ruby here 
and there to relieve 
the monotony. And 
how varied are the 
forms! That one 
there looks like a 
great spiral tree, with 
branches made of 
white moose horns. 

And here is one look- ^ 

ing like a bunch of candles all ready to be lighted. Oh, 
how beautiful this one is ! I am sure it is as soft as 
velvet — at least it looks as if it is — ” and he put forth 
his hand and began stroking it. “ Why, it is hard and 
scratchy as flint ! How deceptive ! ” he exclaimed, in 
surprise. “ Oh, Taddeus, here is a bush ! — or it looks so 
like one that I expect to see its branches wave in the 
187 




deus,” he said, putting his arms 
affectionately around his companion 
as they strolled along ; “ there is 
just one thing that I miss in the 
Sea World?” 

“What is it, my prince? ” Tad- 
deus asked, quite concerned. 

“Sound,” answered Prince El- 
worth ; “ the myriad voices ot 

nature that I have been accus- 
tomed to hear in the Earth World ; 
the music of the birds in the 
forest, the sighing of the wind 
through the trees, the voices of 
the night, the splash and beat and 
roar of the surf, and a hundred 
other sounds. Here all is silence, 
oppressive silence, unbroken save 
by thy sweet voice and the voices 
of thy companions. Here are 
forests with fishes of wondrous 



beauty moving about among their 
branches, as birds do in the branches 
of the Earth World forests, but they 
utter no sound.” 

“ True, my prince,” answered 
Taddeus ; “ this is a silent world, 
but thou wilt soon learn to love 
that wondrous silence as thou hast 
loved the noise of the Earth World. 
This is another world from thine, 
and as its conditions are different 
so must its effects differ. In the 
Earth World what will compare 
with the beautiful movement of 
lights and colours of the Sea World ! 
and as to sounds, what we have the 
Earth World cannot equal. We 
have beautiful music, and we can 
make the tunnies sing. I saw some 
small ones here yesterday ; perhaps 
there are some now. Wouldst hear 
the wail of the tunny.? Listen.” 





Taddeus made a peculiar sound, a long drawn wail, 
low and soft and sweet ; and a moment after a similar 
sound was heard among the branches of a coral tree, 
then another, and soon a dozen more. The sound grew 
louder and louder, as others joined, and all blending 
together in one melodious tone. 

“ What thinkest thou of that ? Can the Earth World 
produce a sweeter sound ?” Taddeus asked. 

“ No, indeed, no ! How rich and — Why, Taddeus, 
I can FEEL the sound as well as hear it ! ” 

Taddeus looked up and smiled. 

“I have often wondered why the music of Chaldea’s 
moglers seemed so very much more satisfying than 
Earth World music. Now I know why. It is be- 
cause the greater density of the atmosphere carries 
sound vibrations so much more effectively that one yee/s 
as well as hears the sound. Think of it, hearing and 
feeling music at the same time! Dost know, Taddeus, 
that this hsh music sounds as if the wind is blowing 
the strings of a thousand harps, and making all the 
strings to hum in tune. Oh, it is wonderful I The Sea 
World is wonderful 1 Can other fish sing like that.?” 

‘‘Yes, several varieties utter sounds, but very seldom, 
unless encouraged to do so; and then only for a short 
time. Hark, the music is dying away even now.” 

At this moment Poulair and Mora and all of his 
190 


The Sea Children 


guard, with many of the Sea Children of Patua, came 
running along the path, laughing and shouting ; and 
hardly had they joined Prince Elworth and his com- 
panions when a short 
blast of a mogle shell 
was heard from the 
south lookout, almost 
overhead. 

What is it, Azer .? 

Taddeus shouted to 
him. 

The Sea Child on 
the parapet overhead 
pointed to the squid cave. Looking in the direction 
indicated. Prince Elworth saw for the first time a giant 
squid ; in fact, there were a dozen of them gliding along 
in their jerky fashion. They were too far away to be 
seen very clearly ; but, even at that distance, their enor- 
mous size and their hideous outline caused even the 
brave Mora to utter an involuntary “ ugh ! ” indicative 
of repulsion more than fear. One by one they jerked 
themselves out of sight into the mouth of the cave, 
and when the last one had disappeared, Poulair said : 
‘‘ Well, that is part of to-morrow’s trouble. Let them 
not disturb to-day’s fun. Now, hurrah for Illwa ! ” 

‘‘ Illwa ! Illwa! ” shouted the Sea Children. “Illwa 
and Corinn I ” 

“ What meanest thou, Poulair ^ ” Prince Elworth 
asked. 




The Sea Children 


Poulair answered by leading Prince Elworth to an 
opening in the pink coral hedge at the edge of the 
garden, and then, pointing downward into the black 
depths below, he said : “ That is the road to Illwa. 
This is what Leora calls jumping from daylight to 
night.” 


CHAPTER XVI 




and the 


Sea 


P RINCE ELWORTH, holding tight to the coral 
hedge, peered over into the mysterious depths 
below. “ Oh, Poulair,” he exclaimed, “ are we 
really going to jump down there ? ” 

“Yes, my prince; and thou wilt enjoy it immensely. 
Fear not, for the sea atmosphere is more kind than that 
of the Earth World, and the jump will be like flying 
and not like falling. Thou wilt not hurt thyself in 
the least. Come, now all stand in line, and when I 



count three, jump.” 


The pleasure of anticipation 
was so evident in his compan- 
ions and the confident manner 
in which they ran up to the 


very brink of the awful chasm 
so reassuring that whatever 


lingering fear Prince Elworth 
had was dispelled, and, taking 
his place fearlessly in the line, 
he prepared to jump. 


“ Hold thy hands up over 
thy head, so that thou wilt fall 



“OVER THEY ALL LEAPED INTO THE VAGUE BLACKNESS BELOW, 

SHOUTING AND LAUGHING” 


The Sea Children 

faster, my prince ; keep thy feet together, and slant thy 
body a trifle, to keep clear of the cliff,’’ cautioned Pou- 
lair. “ Now, all ready ! One ! — two ! — three ! — 
JUMP ! ” and over they all leaped into the vague black- 
ness below; and, shouting and laughing, very much as 
Earth Children do when they coast down the snow- 
covered hills of the Earth World, they fell swiftly 

downward. 

Down, down, they 
fell, through schools 
of startled fish, that 
scattered in every 
direction at their 
approach ; through 
the pale blue-green 
of the upper Sea World, 
into the gradually deepening blue and indigo of the 
lower ; through clusters of migrating argonauts and 
throngs of medusae ; past wild-eyed rock fishes and 
stupid lampreys and ugly toadfishes and a thousand 
other dodging forms that made their home in the cliff 
side ; down, until Prince Elworth began to feel as if 
he never would stop, and then, just to see if he could 
stay his swift descent, he extended his arms horizontally. 
Immediately he began to move more slowly, and the 
swish of his body through the water and the shouting 
of his companions grew less distinct, and he saw his 
brethren shooting downward far below in a halo of 
phosphorescent light, which spread out and around 
them and trailed upward in a soft glow. Quickly he 
lifted his arms, and shouted: “ Poulair ! Taddeus 1 
Wait for me ! ” and soon was falling as swiftly as be- 
fore; but his companions were too far below to hear 
his call. 

Now the daylight gave place to twilight. The water 
became visibly denser, and a painful pressure about the 

194 



The Sea Children 

temples caused Prince El- 
worth some alarm. He 
was still a long way from 
his companions, and he re- 
gretted his folly in separat- 
ing himself from them. 
He wondered if they had 
observed his disappearance ; 
and he began to fear the 
possibility of his falling 
where his brethren could 
not find him, and the 
thought of being lost in that 
strange mysterious deep Sea 
World made him shudder. 
Fancy pictured out a hun- 
dred horrible and unknown 
dangers that might assail 
him. Then, too, the pain 
in his head was growing 
worse, and he wished to 
ask Poulair what caused it, 
and how to stop it. He 
grew dizzy, and for a period 
of a hundred heart-beats he 
saw nothing, and a great 
dread was in his heart when 
again sight came back to 
him. But his fear instantly 
gave place to joy, for he 
saw, not two lengths be- 
low, the Sea Children, with 
outstretched arms, awaiting 
his approach, and in a mo- 
ment more he was with 
them. 




“ How dost thou like the long jump ? ” Poulair asked, 
smiling. 

“ Delightful ! Delightful ! Why, it is like flying,” 
replied Prince Elworth. “ But my head, why does it 
hurt so, Poulair?” 

“ Oh, the pain always comes when one makes his 
first jump, but that will pass away in a moment, my 
prince.” Then, after an interval, he added, pointing 
downward: “Look beneath thee.” 

Prince Elworth looked, and immediately cried out : 
^‘Oh, I see ground!” 

“ No, that is the top of a deep sea forest of gottle 
trees,” Poulair explained. 

“Then we are almost there, Poulair.” 

“ No, my prince, that forest is just half way down, 
just half a league from Patua.” 

“ Half a league ? It seems as though we had fallen 
whole leagues, and many of them,” Prince Elworth 
responded. 

One of the Sea Children now sounded three blasts on 
a mogle shell ; and in a moment after three answering 
blasts were heard faintly from far below. 

“ That is Corinn,” Poulair shouted. 

“ What, hast thou another city down here ? ” Prince 
Elworth asked, in amazement. 

“ Oh, just a tiny one, just a camp. Carefully now, 

196 


The Sea Children 

my prince. We are almost there. Does thy head feel 
better.?” 

‘‘Yes, Poulair, I had forgotten the pain entirely. But 
why do we fall so slowly now?” 

“The atmosphere is heavier here. A little farther 
down and thou canst not fall at all.” 

This mystified Prince Elworth considerably ; but, 
suddenly coming among the treetops, he asked : “ Oh, 
what are all these green 
balloons for ? ” 

Each of the perfectly 
vertical branches of the 
deep-sea trees was tipped 
with a peculiar balloon- 
like sphere, the sight 
of which had called 
forth Prince Elworth’s 
question. 

Poulair had only 
time to answer, “ Gottle 
bulbs,” when they emerged from the thickest of the 
branches into the open, and saw on the ground below 
them twelve other Sea Children. In another heart-beat 
or two they had dropped as light as a feather right 
among them. 

“My prince, this is Corinn and his guard,” Poulair 
said. 

But Corinn waited for no introduction. This most 
impetuous of all Sea Children, this rosy-cheeked, raven- 
haired youth with snapping black eyes, taken quite by 
surprise (for he knew not of Prince Elworth’s arrival), 
looked for just one instant at the tall figure of the 
prince, then, understanding all in a flash, he rushed up 
to him, and gave him one of those very affectionate 
childish embraces which made the greetings of the Sea 
Children so pleasant, and exclaimed : “Joy! Joy! thou 
197 



The Sea Children 

hast come ! Alledra’s jewel shall be revived.” Then 
he embraced Prince Elworth again, and, jumping back, 
looked at him with hands clasped in admiration. 

“Oh, my brethren, thy pardon,” he cried, turning 
about to give his companions an opportunity, which 
they took advantage of at once. 





CORINN 


“ How good of thee to stop here, Poulair. But, 
shouldst thou have done so ? The jewel is very weak 
indeed. I tried it last night, and it grieved me to see 
how faint it was. I doubt if it will last another week.” 

“Mora and I have come to the same conclusion. 
But within a week we shall be in Atlantea or — well 
we intend to be there,” Prince Elworth heard Poulair 
answer. 

“Bravo!” Corinn responded. “And I know thou 
shalt, for courage and determination are half the 
battle.” 


198 


Prince Elworth was now looking up among the trees, 
and asking questions concerning them from his newly- 
found brethren. 

“What thinkest thou of our trees.?” Corinn asked. 

“ I think they are the most peculiar trees I have ever 
seen,” Prince Elworth answered. 

“Why.?” Corinn insisted, smiling. 

“ Well, in many ways. First, they are very tall, ten 
times taller than the greatest oak that grows in the 
Earth World ; then they and all their branches are 
perfectly vertical, and as rigid and immovable as iron 
rods. See, I can hardly move even this small branch. 
Again, they look so naked ; they have no foliage like 
the trees in the upper Sea World, that is, unless thou 
wouldst call those queer little balloons on top of every 
branch foliage. Didst say they were gottle bulbs, 
Poulair .? ” 

“Yes, my prince.” 

“Then thou -dost get them from here.?” Prince El- 
worth asked again, very much interested. 

For answer Poulair nodded toward Mora, who was 
climbing up a tree, or rather gliding up a tree, by walk- 
ing gently hand over hand. When he reached the top 
he called: “Now see what happens;” and plucking a 
stout fibre from the branches, he tied it tightly around 
the stem of a gottle bulb, and cut the stem just below 
that. Instantly the released bulb sprang upward toward 

199 


The Sea Children 

the upper Sea World, and continued up until lost to 
sight, while the branch from which it had been cut 
slowly descended. Mora cut another without tying it, 
and that at once collapsed and fell to the ground. 

“Oh, I see they are full of air, and hold the branches 
up,” Prince Elworth cried. 

“Yes, with the help of the pressure of this heavier 
atmosphere,” Poulair answered. 

Corinn now led the way among the trees to a cluster 
of little houses, woven out of the branches that had been 
lowered for that purpose. “ This is but a watch station, 
my prince,” he said, apologetically, as he approached 
the houses, “so thou must not expect a very luxuriant 
dwelling.” 

“ Why dost thou live down here, Corinn ? ” Prince 
Elworth asked. “ It is very nice, but, oh, so lonesome; 
not even a fish about.” 

“ No, there are hardly any fish in the middle Sea 
World, but thou shalt see enough farther down to please 
thee, I think,” and he glanced with a mischievous smile 
at Mora and Poulair, and added : “ But we do not live 
here for pleasure. We take turns coming here to watch 
the Meedas, from which we get the Sea Children’s jewel 
and mantle.” 

Prince Elworth looked about him as though in 
search of the jewels. 



The Sea Children 

“ Oh, they are in the deep sea, half a league farther 
down,” Corinn answered. “ Come, and thou shalt see 
where they are.” 

Prince Elworth had seated himself in a hammock 
in front of the little houses, and now eagerly arose to 
carry out Corinn’s suggestion. When he sprang out 
of the hammock, to his very great surprise, he leaped 
fully his own length into the sea air, then fell gently 
back. 

“ Oh, I feel as if I weighed nothing at all ! ” he ex- 
claimed, in very great wonder. How can one possi- 
bly jump any farther down } 

How curious it feels ! Why 
is it, Poulair ? ” 

“Thy lightness, my 
prince, comes from the 
greater density of the sea 
atmosphere. A little farther down and it will bear thy 
weight,” answered Poulair. 

In the meantime the Sea Children had reached the 
edge of the cliff, and Prince Elworth was told to look 
down. 

“ Oh ! oh ! ” he exclaimed, in astonishment and ad- 
miration the moment he looked below. “ It is fairy- 
land ! It cannot be real ! Tell me, what is it all ? Oh, 
how beautiful ! Why, there are a thousand, nay, ten 
thousand, moving lights down there; and that greenish 
fire — a lake of it ! How wonderful it all is ! ” 

“ Did I not tell thee that thou shouldst find that 
even fire was possible in the Sea World, or, at any rate, 
what appears to be fire ? ” Poulair said, smiling at Prince 
Elworth’s enthusiasm. 

“Thou didst, indeed. It is incomprehensible. Can 
it be real .? ” Prince Elworth replied, his face showing 
the surprise the sight of fire in water caused him. 

“ Now we shall go down there. That will be better 
201 



The Sea Children 

than telling thee about it. Then thou canst see for 
thyself.” 

‘‘ Can the squids or sharks descend so far ? ” inter- 
rupted Prince Elworth, excitedly. 

‘‘ No,” Poulair answered. ‘‘ They cannot stand the 
pressure.” 

“ Well, why can’t we go down there then, and pass 
their great blockade underneath them, and come up as 



near Atlantea as possible?” continued Prince Elworth, 
his eyes sparkling with excitement. 

This suggestion caused a merry peal of laughter from 
all his companions. Indeed, they must have considered 
it quite a funny proposal, for a considerable time elapsed 
before Poulair could control himself sufficiently to an- 
swer. “ Well, that would be a good idea if it were 
possible,” he said, “but thou shalt find soon how im- 
possible it is, my prince. First we have to weight our- 
selves to remain down there a second. There are no 
steeds we can train to carry us ; and if there were and 
we anchored ourselves to them, our buoyancy would 
draw them out of their depth, and they would die.” 

“Well, why not walk and carry weights to keep us 
down?” asked Prince Elworth, hopelessly, in a semi- 
serious tone. 

“ Thou canst not walk at all down there. The 
ground is all covered with ooze, — a fine dust which falls 
202 


The Sea Children 


from the upper seas, — and it is so deep that thou couldst 
not possibly walk ; and even if we could, the deep sea 
ends at the mountains, and we would have to come 
up to cross them. See, here is a weight for thee ; 
and Poulair gave him the stem of a long gottle branch, 
on one end of which was tied a very heavy stone. 

Prince Elworth observed that all the Sea Children 
had provided themselves with similar stones. 



“ Hold to the end of 
the branch, my prince, 
and do not let go,” Corinn explained. 

Now, roll it over the edge.” 

All the Sea Children now stood hold- 
ing the long gottle stems, with the heavy 
weights hanging over the edge of the 
cliff. 

“One, two, three, — jump ! ” called Corinn. 

At the word “jump” all sprang lightly over the 
cliff, and were pulled swiftly downward by the heavy 
stones. 

Prince Elworth, fascinated by the weird scene be- 
low, kept his eyes fixed in that direction ; and, as he 
came closer and the objects became clearer, it seemed 
even more wonderful, more fairy-like, than when seen 
from a distance. 

There was silence now among his gay companions, 

203 



save for an occasional whispered question, or answer, or 
command from Poulair. All were intently watching 
the moving fairy panorama below, clinging tightly to 
the weighted gottle branches, which pulled them down 
ever nearer and nearer to the “ lake of green fire.” 

For a long time they fell swiftly, then even the whis- 
pering ceased, and no sound was heard. Silence, utter, 
impregnable silence reigned, — silence so overpowering 
that it seemed a living thing, a gloomy, shapeless thing, 
spreading itself everywhere, above, below, and all around. 
Prince Elworth felt as if the region of sound was 
millions of leagues away ; as if he would like to shout 
out ; as if some one or something ought to utter a sound 
to break the awful stillness of those silent seas ; and he 
turned to Poulair to ask him why there was no sound, 
but even as he was about to speak, a great black object 
darted in a frightened manner out of the path of the 
falling Sea Children, and, as it passed very close to 
Prince Elworth, suddenly turned and flashed a glare of 
blinding green light right into his face. In another 
heart-beat it was out of sight above their heads. 

The sudden unexpectedness of the blinding flash of 
light so startled Prince Elworth that he uttered an in- 
voluntary, “ Oh ! what was that ? ” 

Into that awesome silence and dense sea atmosphere 
his voice broke with so thunderous a sound that he 
could feel the vibrations beating with painful harshness 
into his ears, while all the Sea Children instantly clapped 
their hands over their ears, and uttered a warning “ Sh ! 
Even this slight sound, coming from so many mouths at 
the same time, was like the roar of a cataract. 

Poulair came close to Prince Elworth, and whispered : 
“ Thou must be absolutely still down here, my prince, 

204 



“A GREAT BATTLE RAGED BETWEEN A DOZEN WONDERFUL FIERY 
INHABITANTS OF THESE SILENT DEPTHS” 


The Sea Children 

for the atmosphere is so heavy that thy voice would 
boom out like thunder in the Earth World, and frighten 
everything away. But if any big fish really annoys thee, 
just say ‘ sss — ,’ like that, and thou wilt see a very much 
frightened creature. Now all must be silent.” 

Gradually the speed of their falling grew less and less, 
and finally they almost ceased to fall at all, and Prince 
Elworth began to fear they would never be able to 
reach the bottom, which was now very close. How- 
ever, at last he felt the heavy stone on the end of his 
stem sink into the ooze of the sea bed, and the 
journey was at an end. He stood a full league 
below Patua, in the mysterious depths of the 
Sea World. He could see his companions 
holding themselves down by their long gottle 
stems, which stretched upward like 
rods of iron from the ooze below. 
Something in their attitude sug- 
gested the grotesque jumping jacks 
that he remembered from his child- 
hood’s days ; and he smiled as he 
looked from one to the other, their 
faces radiant in the soft light, and all 
bathed in a flood of still softer greenish 
light which shone on them trom below. 



The Sea Children 

Prince Elworth, looking down, saw that they were 
on the very edge of what appeared to be a living corn- 
field whose stalks were tipped with bulbs of fire, and 
whose waving petals (tentacles) flashed occasionally as 
they felt about for food, for which they seemed ever 
searching, searching, searching. 

And to the right were the Meedas! 



There was no need to tell Prince Elworth this. The 
moment he saw their great shells and glowing lights, he 
knew what they were. 

There they lay, a great field of them, huge white 
shells, the lower parts of which were like his chariot. 
They opened and closed, opened and closed, and from 
the openings glowing mantles waved upward like filmy 
veils ; like, in fact, the mantles worn by his brethren, for 
this, indeed, was where they had been obtained. 

Prince Elworth thought of the parent jewel from the 
king of the Meedas, which Alledra brought as an in- 
heritance to the Sea Children, and which Pathania 
now wore, and when the Meeda nearest him opened, he 
tried to peer into the narrow glowing crevice to see 
where the jewel was located ; but before the jewel was 


The Sea Children 


discovered, his attention was diverted from the Meeda 
very suddenly and completely. 

At that instant the waters all about him became alive, 
wondrously alive, with living creatures. The peace- 
fulness of the scene was dispelled ; and a great battle 
raged between a dozen wonderful fiery inhabitants of 
these silent depths. From a projecting cliff a long, 
snaky form had darted, its sides gleaming with a score 
of shining points of light, its head spangled by brilliant 
discs, which caused a soft effulgence, against which the 
hideous opened mouth and rows of abnormally long 
teeth were silhouetted. A gleam of light shot across 
him from behind, the converging rays of which reached 
backward to their source on the head of a larger fish, 
which now appeared from behind the rock. Then 
others followed, and more came from below and above, 
— all battling, the big endeavouring to devour the little. 

The scene was like a wild weird fantasy. Instead of 
living forms. Prince Elworth imagined that he saw ani- 
mated witch lanterns of pumpkins and gourds and other 
queer-shaped things, punctured full of little holes, and 
filled with powerful mysterious and dancing lights that 
fairly made one dizzy to look at. The reality of the 
scene was soon impressed upon him, 
however, by the fish with the head- 
light closing his teeth upon the long, 
snake-like form that had first 
appeared. This fish had 
almost swallowed the other, 




The Sea Children 

when along came a creature with a long tail and a huge 
pelican-shaped head, which opened wide and scooped 
in both at a mouthful. In a moment more those that 
came first and still lived were out of sight, chased by 
others, who in turn were pursued by still larger and 
more queer-looking creatures. 

Prince Elworth stood watching this battle for life 
in the great depths of the ocean with the keenest of 



interest. It was terrible, yet fascinating, — more like 
a fantastic dream than a reality. Suddenly he sprang 
backward, and again, in his fright, forgetting how 
greatly sound was magnified in those silent depths, 
exclaimed, “ Ugh ! Get out ! ” as a great fish darted 
swiftly toward him, with mouth wide open and light 
flashing a blinding glare into his face. 

At the thunderous sound of his voice the monster 
stopped short, as if shot, and then, whirling about, darted 
away in a great fright, while all the other fish scurried 
in every direction, like a flock of birds frightened by 
the roar of a cannon. 


209 


The Sea Children 


The Sea Children smiled, and again clapped their 
hands over their ears, while Prince Elworth, very much 
abashed at the unexpected result of his fright, flushed 
red, and looked down at the stone on the end of his 
gottle stem. 

The next moment he felt a twitch at his jacket, and, 
looking up, saw Poulair pointing with one hand over 
to the right. 




Away in the distance 
was a streak of fire, a veri- 
table comet, moving slowly 
across the sky of the deep Sea 
World, and leaving a trail of fire 
behind it. Prince Elworth watched 
this marvellous sight with intense in- 
terest. Slowly the sea-comet swept 
by, and, as it came near, he could see 
that it was a huge cylindrical-shaped 
fish, with a great ball-like spot of light 
under its throat and long, luminous streamers trailing 
behind. In a few moments this strange fish had dis- 
appeared from sight in the distance. 

Prince Elworth now began to examine more closely 
the wonderful life around him. Never, even in fancy, 
had he pictured creatures so queer and grotesque as he 
saw here. He was bending over an odd-looking plant 
when he received a violent punch in the ribs from Pou- 
lair, who was pointing eagerly downward. Prince El- 
worth looked down, and saw just above the ooze a bulb 
of light glimmering at the end of a stem which reached 
to something half hidden in the ooze. Back and forth, 
back and forth, swayed the bulb of light; and now a fish 


The Sea Children 



began to wheel round and round it in ever-narrowing 
circles, until it came quite close. Then the fish stood 
still and stared, fascinated, at the light, now more coax- 
ing, more alluring, more seductive in its movements. 
Again the bewildered fish came closer to the light, 
which began to move downward, ever so slowly, fol- 
lowed by its dazed victim, until the bulb touched the 
ooze. Then there was a lightning movement in the 
ooze, and Prince Elworth saw two huge jaws, armed 
long, incurving teeth, come together with a snap 


in the body of the 
stupid fish, which 
had suffered itself 
to be lured right 

into the greedy mouth. The next moment 
the stirred-up ooze hid both the victor and 
the victim from sight. 

Now a surprising feat of deep-sea swallowing filled 
Prince Elworth with amazement. A thin fish, with 
an extremely large mouth, captured a very much larger 
fish than himself, and proceeded to swallow him. As 
the engorging progressed, the skin of the smaller fish 
stretched and stretched to admit the larger, until it 
looked as if it must burst, yet it did not, but grew 
thinner, and became so transparent that Prince Elworth 
could see plainly the victim inside, could see its head 
and its eyes as they were forced slowly almost to the 
tail. 


2II 


The Sea Children 


“ There, what canst thou do with him now ? ” thought 
Prince Elworth. “ Surely he can go no farther in, and 
he is only half swallowed. Thou shalt have to bite 
him off.” 

But no ; the fish rested a moment, then gasping 
spasmodically and clutching with his teeth the strug- 
gling unfortunate, he actually succeeded in curling the 
larger fish up inside of him, his skin stretching like 
rubber in order to accommodate this dainty titbit. 
The creature now wiggled away with a ludicrous, lop- 
sided appearance. 

Poulair smiled at the look of utter amazement on 

Prince Elworth’s face, 
which needed no inter- 
pretation. It meant sim- 
ply, ‘‘Well, that puffer incident was 
tame compared to this ! ” 

Suddenly Poulair shot out his right hand 
quickly, and caught a queer fish by its long, 
thin tail, and held it up squirming where 
Prince Elworth could see. 

To Prince Elworth’s surprise the fish actu- 
ally had a face, and very much like that of some men 
he had seen. There were a long, queer, projecting nose, 
a receding chin, and thick, round lips. 

Again Poulair smiled at the amazed expression on 
Prince Elworth’s face as he watched the grimaces of 
this queer man-faced fish squirming in its efforts to 
escape. Poulair held the fish for a moment, then let 
it go. As the fish darted away it gave a frightened 
look, almost human, over its shoulder at the two Sea 
Children. 

The marvellous life of this wonderful deep Sea World, 
so different from what he had seen elsewhere, greatly 
interested Prince Elworth. There were huge fishes 
with eyes no larger than dots, and fishes longer than 



The Sea Children 

sturgeons with tiny heads and grotesque bodies. There 
were fishes with legs and feet, and fishes with long 
streamers trailing behind them, and others with lumi- 
nous forks, which they projected in front to catch and 
stun their food. There were fishes with huge fins, out 
of all proportion to their bodies, and others with almost 
no fins at all. It was a marvellous scene, this deep Sea 
World, and Prince Elworth never would have tired of 
looking at it had not the continuous strain on his arms 
from holding to the weighted gottle stem exhausted 
him. Poulair noticed how tired he was getting, and 
motioned him to let go. 

Prince Elworth gladly dropped the stem; and the 
moment he did so he shot upward with great speed, 
followed by his companions, who had all let go of 
their gottle stems. 

In a very short time the speed slackened considerably, 
rapidly growing less and less ; and then almost before 
Prince Elworth was aware of it the forest of Illwa was 
beneath him, and all were falling gently back to the 
mid Sea World, beyond which they had been carried 
by the impetus of their upward movement. 

“ Catch the branches. Prince Elworth ! ” Mora 
shouted. 

Prince Elworth did as bidden ; and in a moment 
more he and his companions were perched among the 
gottle branches, laughing and chatting, as children in 
the Earth World do just after a long and exciting coast 
down a steep hill. They had been kept quiet so long 
while in the deep Sea World that now it seemed as it 
their tongues would never stop. Each had to tell the 
others of the wonders he had seen, and Prince Elworth 
had many questions to ask of the marvellous life he had 
witnessed. 

Only a sufficient stop was made at Illwa to prepare 
for the return trip to the upper Sea World. For a 
213 


The Sea Children 

few moments the way the Sea Children set about mak- 
ing this preparation puzzled Prince Elworth ; and he 
watched them curiously as they gathered the stems of 
the gottle bulbs, tying them together in great bunches, 
one bunch for each Sea Child. Then he saw what it 
meant, and, laughing, said : ‘‘ 1 think I can guess how 
we rise to Patua. These carry us up ; ” and he pointed 
to the gottle bulbs. ‘‘ What wonderful ways of travel- 
ling you have in the Sea World, Poulair.” 

“ The sea atmosphere is kind to us, and helps to make 
our lives very easy and pleasant,” answered Poulair. 

In a very short time the busy hands of the Sea 
Children had fastened together a sufficient number of 
bunches of gottle bulbs, and the command was given 
to “ take hold ” and “ cut stems.” Instantly each Sea 
Child caught hold of a loop in the fibres that bound 
one of tbe bunches of gottle bulbs together, and with 
quick, sharp blows of his sword severed the stems. The 
bulbs, like so many little balloons, bore them swiftly 
upward, and soon Patua loomed white before them. 

“ Let go ! ” shouted Poulair ; and all did so, — all but 
Prince Elworth, and he was carried forty or fifty lengths 
farther up before he realised that he had gone far 
enough. Then hearing his companions all calling in 
a chorus, he released the bulb, and descended gently to 
the plaza among the children of Patua, who joyously 
greeted his safe return. 

This had been a wonderful and a busy day for Prince 
Elworth, and he was very tired. The Sea Children, 
noticing his weariness, conducted him to the Hall of 
Rest as soon as the evening meal was ended, where a 
beautitul couch, made out of down-like seaweed and 
hung with silken draperies, awaited him. Almost the 
moment he stretched himself out upon it his eyes 
closed in sleep. 


214 


The Sea Children 


CHAPTER XVII 


opening the Ewer 


A fter a night of fitful dreams, in which the 
events of the previous day formed a somewhat 
blurred background, Prince Elworth awoke to 
find the Hall of Rest suffused with the soft light of 
early morning. 

That ewer again ! ” he exclaimed, in a scarcely 
audible tone. “ And, oh dear, what a dream ! ” 
Arising, he found that there was but one Sea Child 
remaining in the hall ; but outside he could see his 
brethren moving about quickly, as though something 
unusual was taking place. The sound of their subdued 
excited voices and a noise of steel rubbed against stone 
excited his curiosity. Springing from his couch, he 
threw off the long robe of soft silk in which he had 
enveloped himself for the night, and passed out into the 
arcade. At the Archway of the Ewer, near by, seven 
of Patua’s Sea Children were sharpen- 
ing short swords, while beyond, all 
over the city, little groups sped about 
on different errands. Some had bags ^ 
and tongs, with which they collected 
crabs and crayfish and other creeping carrion eaters 
that had made their way over the walls during the 
night. Others had mounted sturgeons, and, with long 
brooms in their hands, were gently sweeping the walls 
and passages in places where necessary to remove the 
215 



The Sea Children 

coral polyp. Guards were patrolling the walls between 
the lookouts, and gardeners were bringing great branches 
of fresh deals and mosses to replenish the Neptune cups 
and the tables of the dining halls. 

“ Greetings, my brethren ! ” Prince Elworth ex- 
claimed, stepping up to the nearest group, and salut- 
ing them by throwing kisses, after the manner of Sea 
Children. 

“ The day’s greetings. Prince Elworth,” they returned 
in a sweet chorus. 

“ What art thou sharpening the swords for, Pervear.?” 
he asked of the little fellow in charge. “ And what art 
thou rubbing on them } ” 

“ Thou wilt need the keenest edge that it is possible 
to give thy sword before long, my prince. We rub this 
deal gum on everything of steel or iron to protect it 
from corrosion by the sea atmosphere. If we did not 
do so, they would be useless in a very short time.” 

“What is the excitement at the North Lookout.?” 
Prince Elworth asked, looking in that direction, where 
a group of Sea Children stood on a balcony looking out 
over the valley. 

“They are watching for Khardi’s guard which went 
scouting up the valley before daybreak to see how 
numerous the enemy are in the Black Gorge.” 

“ The Black Gorge — what is that .? ” 

“ It is a narrow canyon through which thou must 
pass to cross the mountains which separate us from At- 
lantea. It is over a league in length, and its sides reach 
almost into the Earth World.” 





The Sea Children 

‘‘ Why not go around it, Pervear ? ” Prince Elworth 
asked. 

‘‘Too great a journey, and just as dangerous; and 
thou art also pressed for time. Ah, Poulair is beckon- 
ing thee, my prince.” 

Prince Elworth could see Poulair summoning him, 
and he responded at once by running up the staircase 
leading to the walls. He hurried across the plaza, 
along which Leora was gathering the swordfish and 
sturgeons of the guard in formation for sudden move- 
ment, and up the stairway of the tower, until he came 
to the balcony where Poulair and Mora’s guard and 
Taddeus and some of Patua’s Sea Children were crowded 
together, looking eagerly over the valley for indications 
of the returning scouts. 

“ Have they been sighted yet ? ” Prince Elworth 
asked of Poulair and Taddeus, who met him at the en- 
trance to the balcony. 

“ Not yet, my prince, nor do we expect him for an 
hour yet,” Poulair answered. 

“ Are we to go as soon as he returns ? ” 

“ I am afraid we must, for we may be very much de- 
layed, and must reach Atlantea before night overtakes 
us,” Poulair replied. 

“Then, Taddeus, wilt thou open the ewer for me 
now .f* I dreamed of it again last night, and my curios- 
ity is keen concerning its contents.” 

“ Indeed, yes, if thou wishest it. I had quite for- 
gotten about it, my prince. Wilt thou come with us, 
Poulair .? ” Taddeus asked as he started to go with 
Prince Elworth. 

“ I will join thee as soon as Khardi is sighted. I 
hope thou wilt find something interesting in the ewer,” 
Poulair replied, saluting. Then he rejoined those on 
the balcony, while the excited Prince Elworth and his 
companion made their way to where the ewer hung. 

217 


The Sea Children 

‘‘ Pervear, wilt thou get some tools with which to 
open the ewer ? ” Taddeus asked. “ Oh, thou hast them 
here. That is good.” 

With the help of his companions Pervear was soon 
clinging to the supporting chains, and tapping, tapping 
sharply on the heavily soldered rim. 

Prince Elworth walked about nervously, wondering 
what it could possibly contain. He felt that it must 
be something of importance, for why should he have 
dreamed of it twice before having seen it ; and why, 
since having seen it, should he have found 
himself quite unable to banish it from his 
thoughts even during the excitement of his 
jump to Illwa the day before ? 

“It must be very thick, Pervear,” he 
finally remarked. 

“ Indeed it is, my prince. Ah, I have a hole in it 
now ! ” Pervear replied, tapping on all sides of the 
tightly wedged-in tool to remove it. 

“Now it will be easier, my prince, for I can cut it 
with an edged tool,” Pervear remarked. “ Wilt pass 
me the sharpened one, Mordi, and that heavy mallet 
that Arth uses .? There, I thank thee. Look ! Oh, 
look ! ” and Pervear fixed his eyes in amazement on 
the hole he had made, from which, to the astonishment 
of all, a fine blue thread of smoke-like vapour arose. 

“What is it? What is it?” chorused the excited 
Sea Children from below, as they craned their necks 
to see. 

“ Oh, it is perfume ! It is an exquisite perfume ! ” 
Pervear answered, joyously, as he drew deep draughts 
into his nostrils ; then he commenced hammering away 
harder than ever. 

Prince Elworth ran excitedly halfway up the stair- 
case. “ Muriel ! Muriel ! ” he called, clapping his hands 
sharply. Instantly his graceful steed responded. Prince 

218 



The Sea Children 

Elworth jumped on its back, and, catching Taddeus up 
as he passed, rode to Pervear’s side, where they could 
better watch the opening. 

Some of their companions, laughing joyously at Prince 
Elworth’s enthusiasm, followed his example, and others 
mounted the parapet, so that they could see the work 
from overhead and enjoy the perfume which arose from 
the ewer. 

Pervear tapped away energetically, but the work 
progressed so slowly that Prince Elworth became im- 
patient, and seized the drill that Per- 
vear had dropped and helped by 
punching holes, at short intervals, 
around the lid. At every additional 
hole the smoky vapour increased in 
density, until a cone of blue stretched 
itself toward the Earth World, apex 
downward, gradually losing its outlines as it mingled 
with the atmosphere of the Sea World. 

Still Prince Elworth and Pervear hammered on, 
heedless of fatigue, and not in the least discouraged 
by their lack of progress, for after a full half-hour they 
had cut scarcely halfway around the rim. They were 
so interested in their work that when a shout from the 
South Lookout, followed by joyful prolonged cheers, 
announced that Khardi had been sighted up the valley, 
they scarcely glanced up. Indeed, Prince Elworth would 
not have noticed the shouting at all if Taddeus had not 
said to him, with just a touch of sadness in his voice : 
‘‘Thou shalt soon leave us, my prince, for Khardi is re- 
turning.” Then looking up, he added : “My, what an 
audience we have ! ” 

Prince Elworth glanced up. Fully half of Patua’s 
Sea Children crowded about in rows on the parapet 
overhead, chattering and laughing, and breathing in 
the delicious perfume after the manner of expectant 

Z19 




children, and making all sorts of 
extravagant guesses regarding the 
contents of the ewer. 

“ It must be some incense used in 
religious ceremonies,” suggested one. 

“ They did not hold religious 
ceremonies in a temple erected to 
Neptune. It must be the perfume 
from some wonderful sea plant 
which we know not of,” answered 
another. 

“ It might burst into flame when 
fully exposed,” warned a third. 

“ Or explode, as that dreadful 
falling star that fell into the Sea 
World did, frightening us half to 
death,” exclaimed a fourth. 

“Perhaps it is alive — or a 
mummy, more likely, with incense 
buried with it. Oh, dear, suppose 
it is ! ” little Aabari ventured. 

“ My people do not enclose 
mummies in ewers,” answered the 
Sea Child of Egypt. 

“ What dost thou think it is, 
my prince?” one of them asked. 




“ I do not know; but it must be 
something of use to us, or I would 
not have dreamed of it so continu- 
ally while on the way here. Have 
patience, my brethren, it will soon 
be opened;” and Prince Elworth 
hammered away harder than ever. 

Just then Poulair and Mora and 
Chaldea, followed by a dozen or so 
of Prince Elworth’s escort, came 
riding up, inquiring excitedly: 
“ What is it ? What is this won- 
drous perfume ? Why, we could 
smell it at the South Lookout dis- 
tinctly;” and as Poulair came along- 
side, he added : “ Pervear, thou art 
quite tired. Let me have thy 
cutter and mallet.” 

Pervear gladly relinquished his 
tools, but his curiosity concerning 
the contents was so great that he 
kept his place, merely standing up 
between the chains to give Poulair 
more room. 

For some time they continued ham- 
mering and pounding, and prying 


The Sea Children 

on the lid, the perfume ever increasing in strength as 
the cone of blue vapour grew in density. Then, sud- 
denly, the lid of the ewer gave way to the combined 
efforts of Poulair and Prince Elworth, and they pulled 
it upwards, as though on a hinge, until all at once it 
snapped and came loose in their hands. 

Prince Elworth gave an eager glance into the ewer, 
to find it filled with an indigo-coloured substance, which 
yielded softly to the touch ; but before he could in- 
vestigate further, he was interrupted by a wild cheer- 
ing from the Sea Children on the parapet. 
“Khardi! Khardi ! Bravo! How didst 
thou do it ? Where didst get him ? Hur- 
rah 1 Hurrah 1 ” they shouted. 

Prince Elworth looked up to see what 
caused this great excitement. “Surely there 
must be something unusual,” thought he — 
and there was ; for, at that moment, he saw 
Khardi appear over the top of the wall, tugging at the 
end of a long rope; then one after another of his guard 
came into view, each pulling on the rope with all their 
strength. 

“ What have they got, I wonder } ” Poulair asked, 
looking up. “A giant squid, and ALIVE!” he 
added, in astonishment. 

“ How dost thou know they have, Poulair?” Prince 
Elworth asked, shutting the lid down tightly, almost 
stopping the vapour. 

“Because they are coming along in jerks. The squid 
resists, and our brethren make headway between his 
squirts. See ! There he comes ! A ten-arm, not an 
eight-arm. Bravo, Khardi ! ” 

Then over the parapet the giant squid appeared, 
towed helplessly at the other end of the rope, his 
rudder-like tail beating about and causing him to make 
long, sweeping curves, as he was pulled along. The 



The Sea Children 


eight sucker-lined tentacles and two long, 
powerful arms were bound together like a 
sheaf with coil upon coil of rope, which 
pressed deeply into the slimy, trans- 
lucent, brown-spotted flesh. His huge, 
wide-opened eyes stared wildly about, ^ 
seeing everything, yet focussed 
upon nothing. Occasionally 
tlie squid, as he was jerked 
along, emitted a faint cloud of 
brownish-black fluid from his 
almost exhausted ink-bag. 

“ Take a turn or two around 
the entrance pillars, Khardi, 
and make him secure,” Poulair 
suggested, as he motioned his 
steed to descend. Taddeus 
and Prince Elworth followed. 

Khardi did as Poulair sug- 
gested, pulling the captive 
until he was close to the 
pillar, where, evidently 
finding resistance useless, 
he settled calmly down 
upon the moss. 

Even while binding the squid to the pillars, Khardi 
asked : ‘‘ Is that wondrous perfume from something 
thou hast found in the ewer, Poulair ? The sea is sweet 
with it, even as far as the Second Mountain.” 

“Yes, Khardi; we have but just opened it, and find 
it full of a dark blue gummy substance. But tell me, 
how didst thou capture the giant squid, and how did 
the Black Gorge look.?” 

“ Well, we went beyond the cave and up the valley 
a bit, ever ready to turn and swim for it if we were 
attacked ; but thou knowest how little under alg« is 
223 



The Sea Children 

there for anything to hide under, so we felt quite safe. 
Well, we got to where we could see the Black Gorge 
away up the valley, and hid ourselves behind that last 
year’s wreck on the mountain side. As soon as the 
light was bright enough we saw that the entrance was 
simply alive with sharks and squids. They were packed 
in so densely that they seemed one wriggling mass from 
where we looked, and more were coming from the 
East Valley, and along the great reef, and from the hills 
that extend to the Pillars of Hercules. I thought then 
that we never could pass that blockade, and it would 
be better to skirt the hills to the west. What thinkest 
thou ? ” 

“ Two days of shallow water ? 
Oh, no ! ” exclaimed Mora. 
“ Give me plenty of depth in 
preference to breadth if we must 
fight. And besides, the power of the jewel would not 
last for the twenty days that it would take, my Khardi. 
I doubt if it will last even three. No, we must cross 
the mountains here ! But, continue with thy story.” 

“Well, we were about to return when a landslide 
occurred on the mountain side, and we rose at once, to 
avoid the rocks that came plunging down towards us. 
Then what dost thou suppose happened Three of 
these giants were hiding in a crevice till we got out 
of the way, and two of them darted wildly up the 
valley, but they were not quick enough. We severed 
their neck strings before they had gone a dozen lengths, 
and returned to do likewise to the other, which was 
caught by five of its arms between two rocks. Just as 
we were about to kill it, Adna said : ‘ Let us rope it and 
take it back with us, to show Prince Elworth how to 
cut their neck strings.’ Well, that seemed like a good 
idea, so we got this rope from the wreck, and noosed 
one arm after the other, until finally we had him tied 

224 



The Sea Children 

as thou seest him, and — well, that is all. Now I 
propose that we loose him, and let Prince Elworth try 
to sever his head from his mantle.” 

Dost wish to try, my prince.?” Poulair asked. 

“ Yes ; give me a sharp sword, tell me where to strike, 
and loose him. It might save my life later on. And 
besides, thou art all here to prevent him from injuring 
me if I do not succeed.” 

Pervear descended from the ewer, and brought Prince 
Elworth a sword and a spear, both newly sharpened, 
while Khardi’s guard stood ready, awaiting the com- 
mand to sever the ropes that bound the monster. 

“Wait,” Poulair commanded, “ wait' until I 
explain the working of this slippery mass to the 
prince. Knowest thou, my prince, how it 
swims ? ” 

“ No, Poulair ; I was about to ask thee what 
it was that caused it to jerk along so.?” 

“Seest thou this tube under his body?” Poulair said, 
prying the creature over with his lance. “Well, he 
draws a draught of water into his mouth, and then 
pumps it out so forcibly through this tube that it moves 
him swiftly along in whichever way he wishes to go, 
forward or backward, according to the direction he 
points the tube. Now when thou dost attack him, he 
will try to catch thee with his arms and pull thee to 
his mouth, but do not let him. Dodge the arms if 
thou canst, and run thy sword in here right behind the 
head, then draw it out again quickly with one strong 
sweeping stroke. That will decapitate him, and his 
mission in life will end right there.” 

“ Suppose he does catch me with those arms .? ” 
Prince Elworth asked. 

“ Then don’t waste energy cutting upon them, for it 
would do little good. He will draw thee toward his 
beak, and thou must run thy spear into his mouth or 

225 



The Sea Children 


into the sensitive flesh above or below the beak. That 
will cause him such pain that he will snap thee out at 
arm’s length, and hold thee there for a moment or two, 
until he has recovered from the pain, then he will draw 
thee in again. When he receives a second 
prod he will probably throw thee from him, 
and try to escape ; but Smolli struggled for 
half an hour with one once, and had to cut 
off every arm, one at a time, before he could 
get away. But we will keep very close, and 
wi if he catches thee we will come quickly to 

thy rescue. Art ready, my prince ? ” 

Before Prince Elworth could answer, a 
mogle signal sounded from the North Look- 
out. All looked up at once. A Sea Child 
stood at an opening in the tower, and called 
through his hands : “ The horizon is spotted 
with dolphins toward Saw-fish Valley.” 

‘‘Very well, Daros, let us know if they 
come near,” Taddeus replied; and Daros 
disappeared. 

Khardi himself was about to sever the 
rope, when another signal sounded from the 
West Lookout, and he paused for a minute, 
while the Sea Child on watch there cried 
out : “ The sea is black in my section with 
dolphins.” 

“And in mine!” shouted a voice from 
the East Lookout. 

“ What a queer coincidence,” Taddeus 
observed. “ I wonder if they are going to 
hold a council and elect a king, as the 
spotted moss fish do. Let us see.” Suit- 
ing the action to the words, he swam his sturgeon above 
the level of the walls, followed by his mounted com- 
panions, while those not mounted ran up the stairway. 
226 


The Sea Children 

“Well, there are a lot of them. Perhaps they are mi- 
grating for some reason or other,” he said. 

“ But what an aggravation for them to pass so near 
us when, if we had but one-fiftieth of their number 
tamed, we could pass that blockade in the Black Gorge 
without any trouble at all,” Poulair observed regretfully. 

“Passing!” exclaimed Mora. “They are not pass- 
ing 1 They are all coming this way ! ” 

“Oh, probably to meet and continue along in a body. 
Come, let us finish with the squid, for really we should 
be off,” Poulair answered, settling to the ground again. 

“ What a fortunate thing it would be if they should 
cross the mountains in either valley,” Chaldea re- 
marked. 

“In that case we must be ready to follow them,” 
Mora replied. 

Again Khardi prepared to cut the ropes which bound 
the squid, and in the excitement of what was about to 
follow, the dolphins were quite forgotten. 

Prince Elworth, mounted firmly upon Muriel, awaited 
expectantly. 

He was not in the least afraid, but still, those long, 
powerful arms and staring eyes made him feel rather 
“creepy,” and he almost wished that he was not going 
to attack the creature at all. 

But no one suspected his nervousness, for, smiling 
down at his companions, he called : “ I am ready. 
Loose him.” 



The Sea Children 

One rope was severed, then another. Two of the 
long arms writhed about in an endeavour to catch the 
nearest of the Sea Children. Then another and another 
rope was cut. The Sea Children jumped back out of 
the way ; and the giant was free. 

For one heart-beat the huge decapod was absolutely 
motionless. Then, drawing his long arms up close to his 
beak, he darted right among Khardi’s guard and pinned 
himself to a dozen lances. Writhing free from these, 
he jerked himself backward, trying to escape into one 
of the archways, only to be driven back by 
more lances. 

“Drive him upward!” Taddeus shouted; 
and, as the squid darted in that direction, he 
added : “ Now, my prince, there is thy op- 
portunity 1 Quickly ! — do not let him escape 
thee ! ” 

The squid made for the wall-tops. Prince 
Elworth following at full speed. 

But the duel was destined to come to a sudden and 
unexpected end. 

Prince Elworth was now so close to the squid that 
another jerk and his sword would certainly end all. 
He leaned well forward in his saddle, his sword ready 
to give the fatal thrust. Another moment and he was 
almost over the creature. The time to strike had come. 
But, suddenly, before the blow could be delivered, two 
black forms darted over the walls, straight toward the 
squid, and the squid gave a great leap, turning con- 
vulsively and throwing his arms about with such incon- 
ceivable rapidity that in the next heart-beat the situation 
was entirely reversed. Prince Elworth no longer pur- 
sued ; he no longer saw easy victory in one blow. For 
a moment it seemed to him that he was surrounded bv 
a hundred writhing, twisting arms, from which it would 
be impossible to escape. Then, suddenly, the arms stood 

228 




“QUICK AS A FLASH HE BROUGHT HIS LANCE INTO POSITION 
FOR A THRUST INTO THE CREATURE’S BEAK” 



The Sea Children 

Still, — spread out like a cup, a death cup, into which 
he was plunging at full speed. 

Quick as a flash he brought his lance into position 
for a thrust into the creature’s beak ; but, at this critical 
moment, Muriel’s great body curved sharply and dodged 
out of reach of the expectant squid. As she did so 
the extreme end of one great arm twisted itself around 
Prince Elworth’s left arm, and jerked him from her 
back with a snap. With a quick blow Prince Elworth 


themselves upon him with their myriad suckers. 

Prince Elworth held his lance ready to prevent the 
creature from drawing him to his beak, but there was 
little need of the effort, for at the first indication of 
danger to him his companions darted to his rescue with 
a wild Sea-Child cheer. But even their help was not 
needed, for while they were still several lengths away, 
two huge dolphins pounced down upon the squid’s neck. 
One quick bite from the foremost divided him in twain. 
Instantly Prince Elworth was released from the cling- 
ing arms, and dropped into Muriel’s saddle, for his faith- 
ful steed had hovered expectantly just beneath him. 

The great tentacles of the squid curled convulsively 
for a moment, then hung limp and motionless around 
the still quivering body. Another moment and the 
230 


drew his keen sword across the slimy 
tentacle and freed himself, only to be 
caught again by several 
other arms, which 
shot out with amaz- 



ing swiftness, and fastened 


The Sea Children 

hideous monster was dead, and its huge carcass floating 
away in a gentle sea current. 

The astonishment of the Sea Children at this sudden 
and unexpected ending of the fight was very great, but 
their astonishment turned to amazement when the two 
dolphins, turning at once from their natural enemy, 
swam directly to the thin blue stream of vapour which 

still escaped from the 
holes in the lid of the 
ewer, and circled round 
and round in it, as close 
to the ewer as their timid- 
ity would allow. 

What did this mean? 
The Sea Children looked 
into each other’s eyes an unspoken query, which was 
soon answered by the dolphins themselves, as more 
and more of them swam plunging and leaping into the 
cone of blue vapour. Gradually their looks of surprise 
changed to enlightenment, then to eagerness, as a full 
realisation of the power of whatever was in the ewer 
dawned upon the Sea Children. 

“A charm! A charm, for dolphins! Hurrah! 
Thy dream hath saved us, my prince ! ” Poulair shouted, 
with unconcealed pleasure. 

‘‘Yes! yes! Let us get it at once and go!” Mora 
exclaimed, swimming up to the ewer and throwing 
the lid open. “ Quick, get a hundred gottle bulbs, 
and let us fill them. If this gum possesses some 
mysterious charm for dolphins, perhaps they will fol- 
low us through the Black Gorge, and help break the 
blockade.” 

“ And possibly we shall have the dolphins’ friend- 
ship then,” Poulair added, as he swam to Mora’s side 
with a trowel in his hand, with which he began to 
scoop out the smoking gum in lumps, dropping it among 

231 



The Sea Children 

his brethren below, who pressed it into gottle bulbs as 
fast as he could supply them with it. 

As they worked, a shadow like that of a great cloud 
gradually shut out the light of day from the city, chang- 
ing the soft light of early morning to the deep purple 
of night, through which the light from the Sea Chil- 
dren’s jewels shone out like stars in the Earth World 
sky. Darker and darker it grew, as the host of dolphins 
and porpoises increased in numbers, and leaped, and 
plunged, and capered about in the cloud of exquisite 
perfume which now rose from 
the exposed gum. 

“Hurrah! Hurrah!” Poulair 
exclaimed. “ It is dissolving 
slowly. We must save all that 
we can. Mora, thou hadst better 
see that all is in readiness for 
starting. Have plenty of extra 
lances carried. Taddeus, thou 
shalt loan us extra sturgeons. We may need them sorely. 
Each Sea Child shall strap two bulbs of this wonderful 
perfume to his saddle. We must be quick. There is 
not a moment to spare.” 

Then a brief interval of intense activity followed, all 
the Sea Children doing their utmost to prepare for im- 
mediate departure. They rushed here and there in the 
strange moving darkness, filling the bulbs and strapping 
them to their sturgeons, and doing the hundred and one 
other little duties incident to making everything ready, 
while Chaldea’s guard played sweet music to calm the 
excited dolphins. 

“ There, that is all of it ! ” Poulair said, jumping from 
the ewer into his saddle, and rushing to the plaza, where 
he found Prince Elworth engaged in storing away some 
deals under the chariot seat. 

“See,” Prince Elworth exclaimed, as Poulair darted 

232 



i 


The Sea Children 

up, ‘‘ I have tied two bulbs of the blue gum to each 
sturgeon, and here are two for the chariot.” 

‘‘We cannot take the chariot, it would impede us. 
Thou shalt ride Muriel, my prince, and I her mate. 
The other pair will follow, they may be of use;” and 
Poulair darted away to the South Lookout. 

At last all was ready. Prince Elworth and his com- 
panions quickly bade Taddeus and the Sea Children of 
Patua farewell. Mora leaped upon Argo, and com- 
manded : “ Chaldea, sound the call ! All 
is ready ! ” Then he paused by Prince 
Elworth’s side, and said : “ Again I ask 
thee, my prince, to hght not unless thou 
must. Leave that to us. If thou art lost 
our hope dies. Poulair shall ride with 
thee, and we have planned so that thou 
shalt be entirely surrounded by the guard. 

Do not let even the appearance of danger 
to one of thy brethren tempt thee from 
Poulair’s side. Thou shalt use thy lance as thou seest 
Poulair use his, — to guard only. I believe that thy 
dream was for a purpose, and that the dolphins will 
make our task an easy one ; ” and Mora, with a gentle 
caress, darted to the front and lifted his lance. Chaldea 
responded with a signal, and off the procession darted, 
each Sea Child leaving in his wake a thin blue streak 
of the marvellous vapour, which, uniting in a cloud 
behind him, floated gradually upward toward the Earth 
World. 

The next moment was an anxious one. Would the 
dolphins follow ? All eyes were turned to where not 
five lengths above them the dolphins and porpoises still 
continued wheeling in circles over the empty ewer. 
Soon they saw the great mass gradually break up into 
thousands of separate leaping bodies, with every nose 
pointed directly toward the receding Sea Children. 

233 



The Sea Children 

“ They come ! They come ! Seven cheers ! ” Mora 
shouted. “ Alledra’s jewel is still ours ! ” 

The cheers were given with a joyful ring, and from 
Patua’s walls, a quarter of a league in the rear, came 
answering cheers, which grew more and more faint, 
until they were lost in the distance. 

“Now,” commanded Mora, turning in his saddle and 
waving his lance dramatically, “ forward ! All speed 
for the Black Gorge ! ” 



CHAPTER XVIII 

The Battle at the Black Gorge 

I N an hour they reached the wreck near which the 
squid had been captured, and from which the 
narrow mouth of the Black Gorge could be seen, 
choked with squids and sharks. 

“ How can we ever pass them, even with the dol- 
phins ? ” asked Prince Elworth, in great concern. 

234 


7 



‘‘The dolphins will take care of the squids, and we 
can protect ourselves from all the sharks in the seas,” 
Poulair answered, without the least trace of concern in 
his fairy-like face, 

“ Art thou saying this to assure me, or is there really 
no great danger?” Prince Elworth urged. 

Poulair looked at him as though quite puzzled. Then 
Prince Elworth realised that, since becoming a Sea 
Child, he had not discovered the slightest trace of de- 
ception among his brethren, even in small matters ; and 
seeing the questioning look upon Poulair’s face, he has- 
tened to correct his mistake by adding : “ But there are 
so many, Poulair. How can we escape from so many ? ” 

“ Thou shalt see a very strange thing happen soon, 
my prince, but fear not ; not one squid shall reach for 
any of us after the first charge of the dolphins.” 

“ Slower, and semi-close order ! ” Mora commanded, 
turning occasionally to watch the dolphins. 

Then as the guards began to close in, with lances pro- 
jecting outward like bristles, Poulair observed : “ It is 
a part of our plan to close up as near together as we 
possibly can when we fight, my prince, even though we 
move at a snail’s pace. At close order we look quite 
like a gigantic porcupine fish, and we are really quite 
as safe as one from everything save the squid. Ough ! 
Their long, slimy arms are terrible ! They sometimes 
pluck our lances away, leaving us quite unprotected.” 

“ I should think ‘ close order ’ would impede our 
movements, so we could not kill many,” Prince Elworth 
suggested. 

“ We don’t care to kill many; we just want to prevent 
235 


The Sea Children 

them from injuring us while we pass that blockade, and 
‘ close order ’ is the only way,” Poulair answered. 

“Well, if we ever pass it at all I shall always admire 
thee as great warriors. I do not wonder that thou 
wert not over-sanguine. What is the rest of thy plan, 
Poulair ? ” 

“ Well, that depends somewhat upon their movements. 
We must, of course, keep near the dolphins, — see, we 
are rising even now, — so if the squids charge us the 
dolphins will take care of them. But whether we are 
attacked or not, we intend to keep in close order and 
fight our way to the right-hand cliff side. That will 
protect us from one side, thou seest, and make our bunch 
of lances thicker on the opposite side. Then, too, there 
are many shelving places which will not only help pro- 
tect us from underneath as we pass them, but upon which 
we can land if we are obliged to stop and fight.” 

“And stay there fighting until we starved to death.?” 
Prince Elworth queried. 

“ Not we, but the sharks, if any, my prince. Hast 
forgotten their appetites .? Why, even now they are 



I 


The Sea Children 

ravenously hungry. Give them food and see how quickly 
they will leave us. This they may not do for some time, 
seeing that here is their last stand, but, sooner or later, 
they will. Then we shall swim full speed through the 
rest of the league-long gorge and out over the plains, 
where the white and gold minarets of Atlantea can be 
seen. Now let us watch the dolphins and see what they 
will do, for we are getting quite close to the canyon. 
They seem totally oblivious to everything save the sweet 
perfume; even their plunges to the Earth World for the 
dry air they have to breathe are more brief than usual.” 
Then in a slightly louder tone he called : “ I wonder, 
my Mora, if this intoxicating perfume could possibly 
cause them to ignore the squids.?” 

“That occurred to me, but if it does we might bring 
them to their senses by shutting it off for a while, my 
Poulair.” 

Absolute silence followed. The Sea Children eagerly 
watched the dolphins’ movements, as they approached 
the formidable living wall of squirming arms and flash- 
ing white bellies in front of them. 

Soon Mora commanded: “Close order!” and, in 
another heart-beat, the steeds swam so near each other 



The Sea Children 

that there was barely room for the swinging movements 
of their bodies. 

‘‘We do look quite like a huge porcupine fish,” Prince 
Elworth said, glancing about him. “ Even the monster 
squids and sharks would pause, I should think, before 
they ran against such a prickly bunch.” 

Very slowly and anxiously the Sea Children now 
worked toward the enemy, where, scarcely fifty lengths 
away, the huge shark king swam majestically back and 
forth in front of his guard of 
giants. A little above him the 
king of squids coiled and un- 
coiled his long, snaky arms, as 
though eager to clasp them 
around the hated Sea Children. 
Occasionally he 
ten lengths at a 

ranks of his cowardly subordi- 
nates, apparently giving orders 
to his troops like a general. 
During one of these spasmodic 
dartings his line of travel was 
directly toward the king of 
sharks, whom he approached in little nervous leaps until, 
suddenly passing the shark, he placed a great distance 
between them in several tremendous bounds. 

On the other hand, the great shark gave but one un- 
easy glance upward, as though to assure himself that 
those slimy tentacles, which he loathed, were out of 
reach of his grey self, then, suddenly gathering all of 
his force together, he lashed his great tail furiously and 
charged directly toward the oncoming Sea Children. 
This was the signal for a general onset, and immediately 
the canyon entrance was alive with the wild movements 
of five thousand sharks and ten times as many squid- 
arms. 


jerked himself, 
time, along the 



238 


The Sea Children 

“ Here they come ! ” Mora shouted. “Keep cool and 
press steadily toward the rocks, with lances held rigidly 
in position, and be careful lest the squids snatch them 
from thee ! ” 

Prince El worth, protected as he was by the very 
bodies of his faithful companions, as well as by their 
lances, could hardly repress a shudder as this great mass 
of life surged toward them. These thousands of sharks, 
with cruel teeth showing plainly in their partly opened 
mouths, sailing along with balance fins spread wide, 
these thousands of tawny wrig- 
gling squids, with their long 
arms gathered together and pro- 
jecting before them like needles, 
and with great eyes seemingly 
looking at him only, made him 
feel thankful that he was in 
the very centre of the Sea Chil- 
dren’s formation, and not on its 
edge, and yet Prince Elworth 
was no coward. 

On came the sharks, until 
with a rush they were upon the 
lances of the Sea Children. 

“First blood!” shouted Khardi. 

“ And one of the king’s guard ! ” Poulair called to 
him, encouragingly. 

Then a dozen, then twenty sharks hurled themselves 
against the unyielding lances, and shook themselves off 
in a cloud of their own blood. 

The battle now raged furiously. Overhead, under- 
neath, all around, the Sea Children could see nothing 
but sharks, sharks, sharks, save an occasional long, wrig- 
gling squid-arm, which reached here and there between 
the sharks, coiling and uncoiling itself in a vain endeavour 
to grasp the lances. With joy they saw one of these 
239 




The Sea Children 

arms coil itself, by mistake, around a shark. 
The result was unfortunate for the squid. 
Instantly the great shark wheeled away from 
the lances and plunged savagely right at the 
creature’s beak, straight into his outspread 
arms. The act seemed suicidal, but so 
furiously and so rapidly did his great mouth 
snap together, and with such terrific force 
did his great tail lash him forward, that 
within three heart-beats his rows of sharp 
teeth had chewed a path clear through the 
creature’s arms and mouth to his neck, then 
one more snap and the squid squirmed no 
more. 

Cries of joy arose from the fighting Sea 
Children at this unexpected indication that 
the old enmity of the sharks and squids was 
not wholly forgotten. 

Still the Sea Children fought on, meeting 
the charges of the sharks and dodging the 
coiling arms of the squids ; and still, even as 
they fought, they moved steadily forward 
toward the rocks, leaving behind them a 
path of dead and wounded sharks, and above 
them a reddish cloud, which mingled and 
lost itself in the blue vapour which rose from 
their gottle bulbs. 

Watch the shark king ! ” Mora cried. 
“ He is up to mischief! I think he is trying 
to make his guard charge, and force an open- 
ing through our lances. Eleesor, GUARD I ” 
he shouted, as a dozen huge fellows came 
rushing upon the lances of Eleesor’s eight. 

“ Stand fast and have swords ready ! ” 
Eleesor commanded; but, even before the 
order was given, the huge fish had charged 

240 


The Sea * Children 

with such savage ferocity that one of them 
had wedged himself unharmed almost to the 
feet of the inner row of Eleesor’s guards, 
where he was suddenly brought to a standstill 
by a deep thrust into his nose from Poulair’s 
sword. 

“ Quickly, my prince, kill him ! ” Poulair 
called. 

With all the force of his right arm Prince 
Elworth ran his sharp sword deeply into the 
vital spot, and quickly withdrew it to help dis- 
patch another shark that writhed on Leora’s 
lance. He understood at once the danger 
of their position. If these sharks forced an 
opening large enough for even one of their 
number to enter alive, he could thrash about 
with his powerful tail and knock the lances 
out of position, so that others could enter. 
Then the fate of the Sea Children would be 
settled. To prevent this the outside tier of 
lances must remain firm. As yet it was firm, 
though the Sea Children of Eleesor’s guard 
tugged and strained at the heavy bodies which 
writhed half dead on the points of their 
lances. They could not long endure this 
terrific onset. But, fortunately, the sharks, 
dismayed by the number of their companions 
that had been killed, soon hesitated, giving 
Eleesor’s guard time to clear their lances’ 
points, and force two of the dead sharks out 
from inside. 

The shark king now plunged furiously at 
one after another of his guard, as though 
punishing them for their cowardice, but what 
followed soon proved that he had another 
object. Madly he dashed right and left, 

241 



The Sea Children 

scattering his command in every direction, 
until he had opened up a wide space through 
the mass of surrounding sharks. 

“To let the squids in!” Mora shouted. 
“ See, they come I Be careful of thy lances 1 ” 

“ Where are the dolphins ? ” some one 
shouted. 

“ Here are the rocks ! the rocks ! ” an- 
other cried, joyfully, while at the same 
moment Mora commanded : “ Cliff forma- 
tion ; ” and the Sea Children swept into the 
gorge. Then, as half the lances of the Sea 
Children next the cliff swung up and half 
down, a hundred squids jerked themselves 
swiftly into the opening made for them, 
and in the wink of an eye had pulled three 
of the lances from the hands of the unpre- 
pared and surprised Sea Children. 

“ Oh, my lance is gone! ” Chaldea cried. 

“And mine! ” said two of Ferret’s guard. 

Poulair was about to unstrap other lances 
from the pack sturgeon, when some one 
shouted: “Look out!” and, glancing up- 
ward, he saw two of the lances falling back 
among the Sea Children. The squids which 
had snatched them were dead. 

“The dolphins ! ” Chaldea cried. 

A glad cheer burst from the brave little 
throng, and Mora turned and said, with a 
look of thanks in his eyes : “ See, my prince, 
what thy blue gum is doing for us ! ” But 
even as he spoke, the startled cry rang out 
despairingly : “ Where is our blue gum ? ” 

Immediately each Sea Child looked at 
his bulb, which he confidently expected to 
find filled with the precious gum ; but, to 

242 


The Sea Children 

his unutterable surprise and horror, he found 
It empty, — the last dregs were even then 
evaporating. 

Poulair and Mora glanced quickly at each 
other, each reading the thoughts of the 
other as plainly as though spoken. Then 
Mora cried : “ When they bank we must 
swim for our lives ! Now listen : The dol- 
phins will bank the squids before the blue 
gum disappears altogether. We must be 
free to break away at full speed then. The 
only way to prepare to do this is to make 
food for the sharks. Land on that ledge 
beneath and kill ; kill all that thou canst, 
every one. Descend carefully ! Dismount, 
in regular order ! ” 

In another minute the Sea Children had 
landed in a formation similar to that which 
had protected them so well on the Silver 
Plains, and from which so many lances and 
sword-fish swords bristled that there was 
hardly an open space large enough to admit 
a shark’s head, even at the outer tier where 
the lance points were fewest. 

Prince Elworth had barely placed himself 
against the side of the cliff in the centre of 
the group when, with a swirl and a rush, 
one of the shark king’s guard swam full- 
speed against Leora’s lance-point, empaling 
himself upon it and sliding down, down 
more than half way. Then with a mighty 
convulsion of his body the shark snapped 
the lance in two, and plunged toward the 
feet of the Sea Children, with the lance- 
point sticking dangerously from his side. 

In the moment of intense activity which 



243 


The Sea Children 

followed no one noticed the sharp, stifled cry of pain 
that came from Leora, nor saw him stagger backward, 
then quickly recover himself ; a dozen sword-blades 
flashed through the water, two sword-fish leaped for- 
ward as though they had been suddenly released from 
powerful springs, — and the shark was dead. 

‘‘Force him out!” Mora called; and the body was 
launched into the very jaws of his fellows, but they suc- 
cumbed not to the temptation to eat. 

Thus passed this danger, but right upon the heels of 
it came another. A great shark suddenly shot down 
upon them from above. A dozen lances were turned 
upward to meet him, and he was dead even before his 
momentum had ceased; but, as he died, his great tail 
gave a mighty slap, and Saato, the Japanese Sea Child, 
dropped his lance and sank unconscious to the ground, 
struck on the head by the shark’s tail. 

“ Pass him to Poulair,” Armeda ordered, and the 
battle went on. 

A dozen — twenty — fifty dead sharks floated up- 
ward ; but still the shark king ignored them, and woe 
betide tbe unfortunate shark who would dare to satisfy 
his hunger without leave from his king. 

“They must give in soon — or — it will be too — 
late,” Mora cried, between thrusts, his sweet face grow- 
ing pale, for he knew the dolphins might leave them 
at any moment, now that the wondrous perfume had 
evaporated, thus releasing the squids, which were now 
banked together overhead. If the sharks did not give 
in to their hunger before then, the chances of escape 
for the Sea Children were small. They could not turn 




‘“THEY MUST GIVE IN SOON— OR — IT WILL BE TOO— UATE’” 


The Sea Children 


back now, nor could they move forward without grad- 
ually losing all their lances to the squids ; and then — 
oh, it was terrible to contemplate what their fate 
would be. 

Suddenly an opening in the mass overhead revealed 
a remarkable scene. 

It will be too late ! Look there! ” Mora cried. 

With every nerve a quiver with excitement. Prince 
Elworth looked and saw a most astonishing sight. 
High overhead were two enormous writhing masses, 
islands, living floating islands of squids literally locked 
together in each other’s arms and piled high up into the 
Earth World in slimy, squirming masses. 
Into these islands of wriggling arms and 
staring eyes, great round terrified eyes, 
thousands of dolphins darted whenever 
a vital spot was exposed, and at each 
charge of a dolphin one squid writhed 
no more. The sea was covered with 
the victims of both the dolphins and 
the Sea Children ; and here and there ink clouds in- 
dicated where some squid was trying to escape from 
a pursuing dolphin in the manner provided him by 
nature. But Prince Elworth also saw other thou- 
sands of dolphins swimming away from the squids, 
the marvellous perfume no longer keeping them 
there. 

It was this that called forth Mora’s exclamation : 
“ The shark king must be determined to make his fol- 
lowers fast to-day,” Armeda remarked. “ Ah 1 Watch 
him ! What is he going to do ? Why is he looking 
at the squids ? ” 

The great monster poised himself perfectly motion- 
less at an aggravatingly short distance from Mora’s 
lance. Immediately every shark became quiet and 
watched him. Suddenly the great tail curved like a 
2<^.6 



The Sea Children 

bended bow, and away he rushed toward the dolphins, 
followed by all the sharks of his command. 

Mora’s raised hand suppressed the cheer that he an- 
ticipated. “ Sh ! Do not remind them of our presence. 
This is our opportunity. Tie Saato to his sturgeon. 
Hurry! Mount!” 

“What are they going to do, Poulair ? ” Prince El- 
worth asked. 

“ They are going to protect their joint conspirators, 
the squids. There, we are ready, Mora.” 

In another moment the 
Sea Children were speed- 
ing swiftly up the gorge, 
and were soon out of sight 
of the enemy. 

Mora’s face had re- 
gained its usual tranquil- 
lity, and smiles again lit 
up the faces of the other 
Sea Children. The great 
danger had been safely passed, and all felt sure that now 
they would soon be in Atlantea, and that the power of 
Alledra’s jewel would be restored. The greatest struggle 
of their lives was about to come to a triumphant ending, 
and already they felt the joy of the peace and security 
which the restoration of the power of Alledra’s jewel 
would bring them. 

“ How thankful we are, my brethren. Truly our 
Guardian Spirit watches over us and protects us,” Mora 
said, reverently. 

“ Dost think we have seen the last of them ? ” Pou- 
lair asked. 

“ Yes. They cannot overtake us.” 

“ But suppose we have to fight at the other end of 
the gorge ? ” 

“ If we do, it will be play compared with what we 

247 



have been through. Their kings were at this end 
of the canyon, and, consequently, the greater number 
of their followers were there too. Then they cannot 
resist their appetites with so strong a temptation at their 
very noses ; and in two hours, at this rate, we shall be 
in Atlantea.” 

Silently and swiftly they sped on their way, until half 
the gorge had been passed, when, suddenly, on rounding 
a bend, Mora called : “ Look ahead ! See the squids ! ” 
Then, laughingly, he added ; “ They are swimming for 
their lives, still thinking the dolphins are after them. 
We will give them another scare soon.” 

But as swiftly as the Sea Children were riding, they 
gained upon the distant squids so slowly that Mora’s 
suspicions were aroused. He looked more closely and 
remained silent. Finally, when the last bend of the 
canyon hid the fleeing squids from sight, he said, quietly: 
‘‘That was the squid king, my brethren. We are going 
to have a little skirmish after all. There are other 
squids at this end, and he knows it. Keep close to 
the rocks.” 

A little longer and they had rounded the bend. The 
squids were now so near that all could plainly see that 
they were the king and his guard, who, somehow, had 
escaped the attack of the dolphins. 

“ It will be a little skirmish, a very little one,” Mora 
remarked, smiling. “Pouf! A few dozen of them!” 

“ Why not ascend and go over the gorge ? ” Prince 
Elworth asked. 

“And fight in shallows! Oh, no, my prince! Our 
most important fighting rule is to keep under our enemy. 
We might dodge them by ascending, but the safest 
way is the best way, so we will just fight our way 
through them.” 


248 



A few minutes more and the Sea Children were again 
battling with the squids and sharks who guarded the 
exit of the canyon ; but so few were their enemies, even 
when re-enforced by the king squid and his guard, and 
so near were they to Atlantea that they had no fear, and 
went into the fight merrily. Compared with the former 
battle, this was merely pastime. “Practice” Mora 
termed it. 

But the unexpected happens in the Sea World as well 
as in the Earth World. 

The Sea Children had fought their way within a 
dozen lengths of the open sea ; Poulair was still con- 
tinuing in his efforts to revive Saato, as the outer guards 
were quite able to cope with the enemy ; and Leora had 
just approached him and said : “ Poulair, I have use for 
a little of thy wonderful ointment; ” and Poulair had re- 
sponded, anxiously : “ Art wounded, my Leora ? ” when 
a great shout arose from the rear guard. “ The shark 
king! Look! And the squids too!” they shouted. 

All turned and saw that the shark king and his guard 
had already passed the bend, and that the gorge behind 
them was literally choked with the thousands of sharks 
and squids, which they had confidently believed had 
been left behind forever. 

Instantly every nerve tightened, ready to respond at 
once to the command. Saato’s sturgeon was pushed 
aside. Leora forgot his wound. All looked to Mora, 
confident that his quick wits would save them, as they 
had saved them a hundred times before. 

Mora wheeled in his saddle and exchanged quick 
glances with Poulair. A plan of action had flashed 
through his mind, and he smiled when Poulair raised 

249 


The Sea Children 

his hand and nodded, which meant: “Do as thou wilt.’* 
Instantly his command came in clear, ringing notes : 
“Guards, ready for charge! Long column! Chaldea, 
sound the JERDRABZZIZ ! ” 

At the last command an ear-splitting, frightfully dis- 
cordant blast burst from Chaldea’s moglers. The effect 
was magical. Squids bounded convulsively away in 
powerful jerks. Sharks shot away from them like 
arrows in every direction. They ran into each other 
and snapped. Squid-arms coiled quickly around sharks’ 
tails with terrible consequences for 
the squid. The confusion caused 
a clear open space of a dozen 
lengths. 

“FORWARD! FULL 
SPEED!” Mora commanded. 
H is voice was unheard, but his 
actions were understood ; and in 
another heart-beat they were 
swimming at all the speed their 
tiring steeds could command out 
into the open sea, out toward 
Atlantea, which could now be seen 
plainly in the distance. And not 
two hundred lengths behind followed the enemy. 

To whom would be the race ? 

The Sea Children well knew the danger of their 
position. Usually a shark or squid was no match in 
speed for the Sea Children’s steeds ; but the sturgeons 
were fast tiring from the severe strain of the morning’s 
work, and the sharks had no weight to carry. The king 
sturgeons and sword-fish kept the pace with ease. 

“Oh, they cannot catch us,” Mora said, assuringly. 
“ But should they come very near to us, thou must swim 
ahead with the prince, Poulair, as thou didst on the 
Silver Plains.” Then, as though recalling the disastrous 
250 



The Sea Children 


ending of that movement, he added, quickly: “ Never- 
theless, do not run this great risk unless it is the last 
hope,” and Mora became silent and watchful. 

Half an hour went by and the position remained un- 
changed, save that the king of the squids and the king of 
the sharks had sped ahead of their followers, and were now 
drawing near to the rear guard, while close behind them 
a few of their swiftest warriors jerked and swam along. 

Now the Sea Children were so near to Atlantea that 
Chaldea signalled to Alledra, and Mora shouted : “We 
are safe ! Even the kings cannot 
catch us now ! See how our 
brethren crowd the walls! 

Hurrah 1 the victory is ours I ” 
and a great shout of joy went 
up from the speeding Sea Chil- 
dren, while from the distant 
city came answering cheers; 
but the signals of Alledra read : 

“Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!” 

Prince Elworth looked with 
wonder on the marvellous fea- 
tures of this sunken city. He 
tried to realise that those gold- 
tipped minarets of white marble, those beautiful palaces 
and stairways leading down the terraced cliffs, those 
stately arcades and statue-crowned columns, were once 
of the Earth World and builded by Earth People. 
But soon the activity manifested along its walls and out- 
looks recalled him from dreamland to the reality of the 
present moment. He saw hundreds of Sea Children 
hurrying hither and thither, and presently two long 
black rows of sword-fish came over the walls and sta- 
tioned themselves in front of the city, ready to disperse 
the uncoming host of sharks and squids, and to protect 

Prince Elworth and his companions. 

251 






‘‘Hail! Hail! Alledra!” Mora 
shouted. “ We bring the prince. The 
jewel is safe ! ” and he stood up in 
his saddle and waved his sword. But, 
even as he spoke, Leora turned to his 
riding mate, and said: “I cannot — 
hold — any — ” and then, before 
Frema could catch him, his lance 
fell, and he dropped unconscious from 
his saddle. 

Armeda reached for him and missed. 
So did Erta, and Llison, and Frasa, 
and Prince Elworth ; but all missed, 
and in another heart-beat Leora was a dozen lengths 
behind, falling slowdy, with the squid and shark kings 
darting swiftly toward him from opposite sides. 

The moment Prince Elworth missed catching Leora, 
and saw the awful peril into which he was falling, he 
instantly turned Muriel, and, regardless of the danger, 
regardless of Mora’s command, of everything save 
Leora’s plight, he dashed back after him, — dashed straight 
toward the spot where both kings would surely meet. 
Frantically he pressed Muriel’s sides again and again 
with his knees for greater speed. Only two lengths 
more and — he reached out his hand to grasp Leora 
before the squid-arms could catch him or the shark 
king snap him up. The next heart-beat seemed an 
age long. He heard Mora shout : “ To the rear, all ! ” 
Heard Alledra command : “ Charge ! To the rescue ! ” 
He saw the great shark to his left turn back downward. 


252 



and his mouth open as though sure 
of his victim ; saw the two long 
squid-arms to the right fix them- 
selves like fingers to close around 
the unfortunate Sea Child ; and then, 
in the very nick of time, he clasped 
Leora’s ankle firmly and drew him 
down, down quickly, out of reach ; 
and the fingers came together and 
grasped nothing, and the jaws 
snapped with a muffled sound upon 
—UPON THE SQUID’S ARMS, 
and then the kings collided. 

Prince Elworth wheeled, with 
Leora held firmly in his arms, and rode swiftly toward 
his fast approaching comrades, who greeted his coming 
with wild cheers of joy. As he rode he turned in- 
stinctively to watch the conflict he had precipitated 
between the two kings. But all that he could see was 
a bewildering mass of rapidly coiling tentacles, followed 
by a series of mad jerks, as the terrified squid tried to 
free himself from his enemy ; a grey back and flashing 
white belly, battering forward with powerful slaps from 
its tail, and chewing, in a hunger-crazed manner, at the 
flesh of the squid ; and then the combatants were blotted 
out of sight by the thousands of their followers, who, hur- 
rying to their king’s aid, came together in one mad het- 
erogenous mass of clinging arms and snapping mouths. 

Thus ended the strange friendship between the sharks 
and the squids. 


253 


The Sea Children 


CHAPTER XIX 

Atlantea and Princess Pathania 



HE walls of Atlantea were now directly before 


Prince Elworth and his companions ; and, in 


another minute, they had entered the city. 


where, quite naturally, they paused to greet their brethren, 
to care for Leora and Saato, and to watch the great con- 
flict raging outside the city.- But this was not to be, 
for hardly had they entered the city when Alledra rode 
up to where Prince Elworth and Poulair were about 
to dismount, a look of intense anxiety shadowing the 
gladness on his face. “ Welcome, thrice welcome to 
Atlantea, Prince Elworth ! ” he said. “ Welcome, all 
welcome ! But, I pray thee, pardon all ceremony, and 
come quickly. There is not a moment to lose. Even 
now Princess Pathania may be breathing her last. Since 
early morning she has been unconscious. Haste!” and, 
leading the way, he directed his swift steed toward a 
palace in the centre of the city, which rose high above 
all others. 

Prince Elworth and Poulair followed, their great 
anxiety showing on their white faces. “ Give Leora 
some of this,” Poulair called, dropping his ointment for 
the use of the wounded. In a moment more he had 
reached the side of Alledra. “Tell me more,” he said, 
anxiously. “ She lives ? ” 



The Sea Children 

‘‘ I know not. We may be too late, my Poulair. 
Hurry ! ” Alledra answered, without turning his eyes 
from some object in the distance which absorbed his 
attention. “ She is fading away like a 
tide-exposed dower,” he continued. ‘‘See! 

That ball upon the pole indicates her con- 
dition. All day long it has been dropping, 
dropping, dropping a little at a time, while 
we, waiting at the walls for thee, my prince, 
watched it in agony. Hurry ! Oh, Pou- 
lair I Prince Elworth I Look ! There is 
Kalara again 1 ” 

Looking toward the palace entrance. 

Prince Elworth and Poulair saw a Sea 
Child emerge from the great doorway and 
move slowly toward the white ball, now 
so near the bottom of the pole. 

Alledra failed to suppress the moan of 
anguish which the awful suspense of the 
next heart-beat caused him, and when he 
saw Kalara slowly drop the ball AS FAR 
AS IT COULD GO, and then turn sadly 
away, he cried : “ It cannot be 1 It can- 
not be! Hurry, prince ! It is not so ! 

I will not believe it! She is not dead ! ” 

In his heart Prince Elworth echoed 
these sentiments. The thought of all 
the remarkable happenings of his jour- 
ney, which had resulted in bringing him 
here in safety, flashed through his mind. 

“ No, it cannot be for naught,” he reasoned. “ It can- 
not be that after all this I am too late. Faster, Muriel ! 
Good Muriel, FASTER ! Just for another moment, 
Muriel! ” he called to his steed, and the tired creature 
responded as though she too felt the desperate urgency 
of the situation. 



255 


The Sea Children 

Swiftly and silently the anxious trio sped over this 
wonderful city of Earth World legend, which appeared 
to whirl backward from beneath them, its colours blurred 
into the appearance of a giant opal by the speed of their 
swift passing. 

Soon they saw two more figures appear in the door- 
way, with heads bowed in sorrow, and Kalara turned. 
Surely he saw that the prince was coming, and yet he 
manifested no signs of joy or hope. 

In another moment Prince Elworth had reached the 
palace entrance. 

“ Come,” Alledra said, quickly dismounting and turn- 
ing to Prince Elworth. As he passed Kalara he looked 
at him inquiringly. 

“ Too late ! Too late ! ” Kalara moaned despairingly. 

Silently Alledra led the way, and silently Prince El- 
worth and Poulair followed into the great domed hall 
of the palace, where upon a silken couch of white lay 
a beautiful girl Sea Child, with eyes closed and face as 
pale as death. Motionless as a statue she lay among 
the silken draperies ; and around her knelt twenty other 
sea maidens, with heads bowed upon their hands, silently 
weeping. A little back from the maidens stood a hun- 
dred Sea Children, wrapped in a grief so profound that 
not one of them looked up even as Prince Elworth 
entered. 

Not until this moment did Prince Elworth despair. 
Now, as he hurried to the couch and took Princess 
Pathania’s cold hand in his own, all hope left him ; and 
overcome by the loss of his dear cousin, he bowed his 
head and wept. 



The Sea Children 

Gradually the great hall filled with grief-stricken Sea 
Children, weeping silently over the loss of their beloved 
princess, and wondering how she could have been taken 
from them, and why. Had she not the gift of per- 
petual youth ? Was there then an end to life ? 

Suddenly a startled movement, accompanied by a sup- 
pressed cry, caused every one in the hall to look toward 
Prince Elworth, who was now gazing eagerly into 
Princess Pathania’s face. 

“Alledra! Poulair ! She moved!” he whispered, 
earnestly. “Look, her fingers tighten 
around my hand! Surely she is but 
sleeping, my brothers ! ” 

Eagerly the Sea Children pressed 
forward. 

“ Princess Pathania ! Princess Pa- 
thania ! ” Prince Elworth called softly, 
gently stroking her forehead with his 
disengaged hand. 

A faint flush of red came into the 
white cheeks, and- the lips parted. 

Then, slowly, with the quick aid of loving arms. Princess 
Pathania lifted herself up on her elbows and sat up, her 
lovely hair falling in great waves over her shoulders. 
Again her lips parted, and now her voice came sweetly, 
slowly, like soft distant music. “ Do not grieve, my 
dear ones,” she said. “ He will come, he is coming ! 
Listen ! I have seen him in a dream approaching the 
city from afar. Poulair was by his side, and a great 
throng of our brave ones were there to bring him safely 
to us. He will come, he will be here soon, with our 
lost brothers. Come, we must welcome him.” 

She pressed her hand over her closed eyes, paused an 
instant, then continued : “ I saw them pass through 
many dreadful dangers, but I feared not. The Guardian 
Spirit of the Sea Children hovered near, and protected 

257 



The Sea Children 


them from all harm.” She smiled and her voice grew 
stronger. “ He is coming now, my dear ones. How 
pleased he is that we are at the walls to meet him. 
Welcome! Welcome, our new prince! Welcome, my 
kinsman ! ” She held her hand poised before her, as 
though clasping an unseen hand. 

Instinctively Prince Elworth, trembling with emotion, 
took it tenderly in his own. 

“We have waited long for thee, my cousin,” con- 
tinued the sweet voice. “ But thou hast come at last. 


I hold a trust for thee, 
cousin. Thou art to 
touch this jewel upon my 
head and renew its life, 
renew the vital power 
my prince.” 



Prince Elworth had 
forgotten the jewel in his 
grief over the condition 
of its wearer. But now 


he stretched forth his hand and touched the jewel on 
her forehead. 

The effect was miraculous. Instantly a brilliant light 
flashed from the jewel, and the mantle which floated 
in filmy waves from the shoulders of Princess Pathania 
glowed with a wondrous soft white radiance, while 
flashes of fire darted between Prince Elworth’s fingers, 
startling him, nay, hurting him very much. He would 
have let go if he could, but he was too much surprised, 
too dazed, to do more than stand there, while threads 
of fire seemed darting swiftly through and through him, 
then, as suddenly, stopped, leaving him with a feeling 
that he had grown strong, very strong, with a strange 
new power. 

Looking down at Princess Pathania, he saw, with 
gladness in his heart, the colour of health come back 


258 


The Sea Children 

into her white cheeks ; and then she opened her eyes, 
and, looking around, exclaimed: “Poulair! Mora! 
Chaldea 1 Oh, my dear lost brothers I Thou art here 
at last I Hast brought Prince Elworth? Where is — 
oh, my cousin I Thou art here! Welcome! Wel- 
come ! ” and she leaped to her feet and threw her arms 
around Prince Elworths neck in an ecstasy of joy. 
^‘Thou art come and thou shalt — ” she paused, as 
though lost in thought, then added : “ Oh, I thought 
that was a dream ! ” Then taking the jewel from her 
hair, she placed it upon Prince El- 
worth’s head. 

The delighted Sea Children could 
contain themselves no longer. 

“ Seven cheers for Prince El- 
worth!” Alledra cried. 

The great hall rang with the joy- 
ous sound. 

“ Seven cheers for Princess Patha- 
nia ! ” he continued ; and again the 
sweet voices were raised in thanks 
for the restoration of their princess 
to health. 

Alledra leaped to the couch, and with one hand upon 
Prince Elworth and the other upon Princess Pathania, 
he said: “Now, my sisters and brothers, this trouble 
which threatened us so grievously is passed. Prince 
Elworth has restored the power of the jewel, which 
came to us so miraculously, and which has made us 
rulers of all the life of the Sea World. Let us rejoice 
also for the ending of our dear Princess Pathania s illness, 
the cause of which is now clear; and let us rejoice also 
because our army will be no longer necessary, and that 
we will no longer fear to pass from one city to another. 
Now let us restrain the fulness of our welcome until 
our tired brothers have refreshed themselves. Then 

259 



The Sea Children 



IS-/J 


we shall make known to them in a fitting manner the 
great joy their coming has brought to us, and will gladly 
hear the events of their dangerous journey, after which 
I know Prince Elworth will be delighted to see the 
wonders of this our greatest city, where once dwelt 
the mighty of the Earth World.” 





4 


.V 



































